By Banji Ayoola
Immediate past Governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, has described quality, free or affordable education as the major springboard of socio economic development of Nigeria.
Besides, this vision, he said, is a proven tool for breaking generational poverty. He said that this underpins the programmes of his party, the Zenith Labour Party, ZLP, as it did the policies and programmes of his former administration in Ondo State.
He spoke in Ondo, during a reception organised for him by the Amalgamated Commercial Tricycle and Motorcycle Owners, Repairs and Riders Association of Nigeria, Ondo West and Ondo East chapters.
Mimiko, who is the ZLP candidate for the Ondo Central Senatorial District in the coming senatorial election, explained that education is the pivot that would drive his party’s pro-people and pro-poor policies, programmes and projects.
His words: “We believe that education should be quality, free or affordable, as this is a proven tool to break generational poverty.
This is why we were transporting our schoolchildren to and from schools daily, free of charge.
This is why we were building 21st century and ICT-compliant primary schools called Mega Primary schools for both children of the rich and the poor.
This is why tuition for students of our state university, Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba Akoko, was the least among state universities in Nigeria, all through our eight years in government.
This is the only way children of the ordinary folks can attain their God-given potentials.”
This same point also underscored administration’s driving principle in healthcare, saying: “It is the same driving principle in healthcare, and we meant it when we said “the death of a pregnant woman in Ondo state will make a headline.”
That is why we introduced free and quality healthcare for all pregnant women, including free Cesarean Section and free treatment for children ages 0-5.
We are equally bridging the social inequality gap. For instance, in our Mother and Child Hospitals and Health Centres, you will find the wife of a millionaire in the same ward as the wife of a messenger.
For the latter, it is because it is free and the former, because it is the best quality she can get.
That is why our Mother and Child Hospital Akure, at a point, became the busiest maternity centre in Nigeria, as it was receiving huge volume of patients from all the neighbouring states and some, from as far as Niger, Sokoto and Taraba states.
We believe that government has a responsibility to take care of our people, especially those at the lower rung of the ladder in the society.
This is what we stand for and this is what our senatorial ambition is all about.
He thanked the leadership of the association for hosting him and particularly for giving him the opportunity to explain what ZLP stands for in practical terms.
