Amosun Endorses Otegbeye At ADC Campaign Flag-off, Says His Support Is Based On Equity, Fairness And Justice
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Ogun state, on Wednesday, flagged off its gubernatorial campaign in Abeokuta with former Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun leading the campaign rally and endorsing the Candidates of the Party including it’s Governorship Candidate, Biyi Otegbeye (BOT).
The flagoff which is a fallout of last week’s judgement by the Court of Appeal, Ibadan which ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to list the ADC governorship candidate as well as all it’s 23 Assembly candidates, was witnessed by a mammoth crowd of party loyalists who stormed the Ake palace ground venue of the event. They were decked in green ‘ aso ebi’ and danced to the music of popular Fuji crooner, Alhaji Sefiu Alao Candoso and Apala musician, Musiliu Haruna Isola.
Before the real event, Senator Amosun had led Otegbeye and his deputy ,Alhaji Tunde Awonuga on a courtesy visit to the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo. Otegbeye on the courtesy visit, promised to be fair to all the various segments of the state if elected Governor in the March 11, gubernatorial election.
He promised to give Abeokuta a befitting status as the state capital. In his own speech, senator Amosun told Alake and his chiefs that he was supporting Otegbeye based on the principle of fairness and equity.
He noted that in the 47 years of the creation of the state, nobody from Ogun West had ever ruled the state. He said It is the same policy that informed his decision to step down for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu at the Presidential primaries in Abuja last year.
At the rally, Amosun equally dismissed reports that he spent N27bn to construct 18 model schools. He disclosed that he spent between N650m and N850m on each of the schools, adding that five of the schools were completed and commissioned before he l left office. He then wondered how the Dapo Abiodun government got the N27bn it was trumpeting about.
The former governor equally was unhappy that the present administration in the state abandoned all the projects he initiated. Amosun said ‘they forget that this is not about Amosun. It is about the welfare of our people. ”
Otegbeye unveiled a five point Agenda named “Pathway To Prosperity” and noted it would turn around the fortunes of the Gateway State.
Otegbeye said, “Development of People-Focused Infrastructure plan is strategic and deliberate. The street-to-street initiative, which will be powered by the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, will liaise with local governments, Traditional Institutions and Various Community Development Associations to ensure that our inner community roads receive immediate attention. As a result of current negligence, the people in our border communities now easily identify with other states more than ours. This must be stopped. In the first 100 days of our administration, we would create the Ogun Border Towns Development Commission, which with the sole purpose of addressing the infrastructural deficits along those corridors – a situation that has suppressed the economy of our state by no less than 40%. Our plan will not just bring ease to our people, it will attract investments, create job opportunities, spark up the creativity and innovation in our productive class.”
Below is the full text of his address
PATHWAY TO PROSPERITY
By:
‘ Biyi Otegbeye, Esq .
Gubernatorial Candidate, African Democratic Congress (ADC)1). Good people of Ogun State, I stand before you today as the Gubernatorial Flagbearer of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). It is an honour that I hold, not just in trust for my party, but as a sacred responsibility to the masses of Ogun citizens whom I seek to serve.
2). Our State is unique in many ways. Our people – the Egbas, Ijebus, Remos Yewa-Aworis and other nationalities – share a common bond and it is not by accident that we are divinely sewn together since 1976. Ours is the perfect example of unity in diversity. Our common history defines the borderlines of intelligence, industry and enterprise. We have boundless opportunities, inexhaustible pool of human capital and yet-to-be-tapped natural resources. We are the true definition of Nigeria; a diverse people of cultures with common goals and aspirations destined to live together in peace, harmony and prosperity.
3). We are again standing at the threshold of another history; to redefine the fine lines of our strong belief in Justice and equity; to broaden the horizon of our potentials; to chart a new direction for our growth and development; to set the tone for fresh frontiers about the opportunities of today and shining promises of tomorrow.
4). We are sufficiently aware how bad things have become under the current administration. Beyond their palliative-styled approach which has not elevated governance beyond minimum effort, the disparities in our system today are huge and have created enormous socioeconomic dislocation in human capital development, infrastructure and economic growth. There is much fiscal and budgetary indiscipline, lack of transparency, self-aggrandizement, mismanagement of resources, Insecurity and breakdown of our ethical values.
5). There is no due diligence in the award of contracts, abuse of office is replete in several MDAs, total desecration of our valued civil service and abysmal failure in attending to the real needs of Women, Youths and the generality of our hardworking people. Indeed, the system is broken and all these declines indicate one thing – Failure of leadership.
6). Ladies and Gentlemen, I have not come here just to point out the pathetic and obvious failings of the cosmetic APC administration under Governor Dapo Abiodun, we have come with a clear mind of what we want to do differently. Our Vision is to “Fix Ogun Sate and Repair the Broken Systems”. Our Mission is to “Create Opportunities for all Classes of People, Restore the glory of the Gateway State, Enhance the Dignity of Citizens and Establish a Culture of Collective Growth and Shared Prosperity”; and Our governance agenda is titled, “Pathways to Prosperity”:
7). The Pathways represent our five (5) broad manifesto plan which encompasses an economic development blueprint and also conforms with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our overarching aim will be to achieve a subnational double-digits GDP growth within 24 months in order to put us on the path of sustained growth; and make Ogun State an emerging economic hub in the West African sub-region.
- Sustainable and Accelerated Economic Growth.
- Optimized Public Services, Good Governance and Leadership.
- Livable Communities and Creation of New Towns.
- Impactful Social Services.
- Development of people-Focused Infrastructure.
In the midst of the current despair, our team is offering solace through these 5 Pathways to Prosperity. The task of transforming our state is not rocket science. It requires patriotism, capacity, political will, integrity, honesty and abiding sense of duty. When we set out on this journey to fix the broken systems of our dear State, we developed the plan to retrieve back the wasted years. Our agenda is therefore guided by our determination to utilize our resources to make life more pleasurable and profitable for the masses.
8). We will create Sustainable and Accelerated Economic Growth by harnessing the potentials of our state in Agriculture, Commerce, Industry, Tourism, SMEs development; thus making our State truly attractive to investors via genuine ease of doing business; without the current multiple taxation, hyperinflation of lands and hidden charges and remittances – that is currently the order of the day.
9). We recognize that for development to be rapid, our civil servants need to be properly treated, trained and catered for. Through our plan for Optimized Public Services, Good Governance and Leadership, we hope to make priority, the welfare of our workforce and improve their productivity. We will initiate capacity building, institutional strengthening, reactivate service charters generally in public service and for specific government services such as education, health and land matters; in order to improve responsiveness, accountability and quality performance levels. To this end, we shall uphold at all times the lofty ideals of good governance, transparency and accountability.
10). Apart from few areas in the state, we are largely an agrarian state. If our communities are livable for the people, there will not be so much desire to drift into the urban cities. To ensure such comfort, we will ensure the security of lives and properties, our rural development strategy will pursue rapid electricity and water development programme to ensure that no community in Ogun State is without access to light and drinkable water. Under our Livable Communities and Creation of New Towns plan, we will upgrade the existing Master Plan that is cascaded into regional and zonal plans; aimed at remodeling the neighborhoods in our cities to create safe and livable communities that will attract a diverse middle class living in comfort.
11). It will be a height of insensitivity if government officials have access to the best medical care in and out of the country while the masses do not. Under our Impactful Social Services policy thrust, our people will have access to Universal Healthcare Services across the state. It will be a fiat that each community in Ogun has at least one fully equipped and functioning hospital that will be at government-subsidised rate. We will also provide schemes to take care of our Pregnant mothers, unemployed youth, disabled and the elderly. This is in addition to our sacred promise of prompt payment of pensions, gratuities, cooperative deductions, bonuses and other entitlements. We will clear all arrears and make sure there are promotion exercises as when due. Importantly, we will promote quality education at all levels with emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Educational infrastructure will be super upgraded; while the process of teaching and learning will become a thing of joy in Ogun State. As I stated earlier, be reassured that your welfare and the Security of lives and properties shall be an ever abiding focus of our administration – in line with Article 14:2b of The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
12). Our Development of People-Focused Infrastructure plan is strategic and deliberate. The street-to-street initiative, which will be powered by the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, will liaise with local governments, Traditional Institutions and Various Community Development Associations to ensure that our inner community roads receive immediate attention. As a result of current negligence, the people in our border communities now easily identify with other states more than ours. This must be stopped. In the first 100 days of our administration, we would create the Ogun Border Towns Development Commission, which with the sole purpose of addressing the infrastructural deficits along those corridors – a situation that has suppressed the economy of our state by no less than 40%. Our plan will not just bring ease to our people, it will attract investments, create job opportunities, spark up the creativity and innovation in our productive class.
13). Good people of Ogun State, what I have just highlighted are snippets from Our Manifesto as this event does not allow us the luxury of getting into the deep details. As we engage the media and begin our campaigns across the state from tomorrow, we shall be unveiling it in detail.
14). John C. Maxwell said, “Everything rises and falls with Leadership”. We will only realize our potentials if those entrusted with public responsibility, have a clear vision and follow it. We will not do ourselves any good if we continue to elect transactional leaders instead of transformational leaders. In all my life, I have built a track record and reputation for integrity and excellence; and the same resonates with my deputy Alhaji Tunde Awonuga. We are conscious of the weight of responsibilities on us and we shall not disappoint you all.
15). I thank all our Royal Fathers, religious leaders, market women, artisans, students, youth bodies, public servants, retirees, various organizations, Ogun indigenes in diaspora and many more – all of whom have shown us support and solidarity many of whom are here today. Let everyone ensure that our PVCs are collected on time. We should all mobilize massively and go out on the election dates to vote for the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
16). I also appreciate all our leaders, teeming supporters and critical stakeholders in the State; for being steadfast and committed in their belief in us all the time.
17). God bless the African Democratic Congress; God bless Ogun State and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
18). Thank you all for listening and I wish everyone safe returns to our respective destinations.
