| By Banji Ayoola A Teaching Hospital complex, to be sited in Ondo City, will be built by the Ondo State Government within the next one year. Besides, the University of Medical Sciences, UNIMED, already in the city, would be sustained to achieve the purpose for its establishment. Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, gave this pledge in Ondo City, headquarters of Ondo West local government in continuation of his appreciation visit to local government areas across the state for supporting his party’s candidates in the just concluded House of Assembly election. The electoral body had declared that the All Progressives Congress, APC, won 23 out of the 26 seats in the recently concluded State House of Assembly election. According to the governor, a standard Teaching Hospital would havebeen located at the General Hospital in Ondo, but this move was frustrated by lack of space. Akeredolu praised people of the City for their support at the last House of Assembly poll which saw the party emerging victorious, and called for more collaboration between the APC and the Zenith Labour Party for the continued development of the State. While assuring that APC candidate, Wale Williams and that of the Zenith Labour Party, ZLP, Tomide Akinribido, would not let them down, he said that they would cooperate with him for more dividends of good governance to be felt in the area. He explained that apart from the numerous road projects constructed by the present administration in the local government, some schools have been rehabilitated; and this has attracted more pupils. He asked for the people’s continued support in future elections, declaring that APC was ready to do more for the people of the area. Earlier, Ade Adetimehin, APC Chairman in the state, thanked the people for their support in the election, and enjoined them to support the party in any forthcoming election. In his speech, the Osemawe of Ondo Kingdom, Oba Adesimbo Kiladejo, congratulated the Governor over his victory at the Supreme Court and during the just concluded House of Assembly election, saying the victories would afford him the opportunity to concentrate more on the business of governance. Represented by the Lisa of Ondo Kingdom, High Chief Simeon Oguntimehin, he appreciated Akeredolu for the laudable projects executed in the area, and appealed for the commencement of operations at Omotoso Power plant to solve the erratic power problem being experienced in the area. While thanking the Governor for sustaining the UNIMED and contributing to its development, he also promised that the City would provide land for the proposed Teaching Hospital in the local government. Oba Kiladejo also appealed to the Governor to use his closeness with President Muhammadu Buhari to persuade him to support turning Adeyemi College of Education to a University of Education. In Ondo East local government, the governor also thanked the people for their loyalty and support for the party during the last House of Assembly election. He said that besides the Bolorunduro-Fagbo and Bolorunduro-Expressway roads built by the present administration, government has also excelled in the area of rehabilitation and reconstruction of schools with the promise to do more. Akeredolu assured that most of the roads in the local government which fall under the Rural Access Mobility Project (RAMP), would soon be constructed to enable farmers bring their farm produce to various markets within the community. Caretaker Chairman of Ondo East Local Government, Mr Adewale Akinkuotu, congratulated Akeredolu over the triumph of his party, having won majority seats and expressed happiness over the peace that reigned before, during and after the election. Also, he thanked the governor for the visible infrastructural development witnessed in the local government especially on road construction including Fagbo road that had been abandoned for many years. On workers welfare, he lauded the governor for the prompt payment of workers’ salaries, saying gone are the days when civil servants are being owed salaries. He said: “You did not only pay as and when due, even the seven month arrears met on ground, you have paid six months, workers in the state are happy and thankful and this kind gesture of yours has endeared you to their hearts, hence the massive support for APC during the election.” He appealed for the governor’s intervention in the blackout the community has been thrown into for the past seven years, a situation he said, directly affects artisans and other small scale industries in the local government. |
