By Banji Ayoola
The Secretary-General of the pan Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, Chief Sola Ebiseni has said that the forthcoming governorship election in Ondo State would be a decisive turning point for the state.
While formally declaring his intention to contest the election, scheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to hold on November 16, 2024, he said the state needs a governor who is properly grounded and has full knowledge of the state.
A lawyer and three-times former commissioner in the state, he believes that the citizens of the state know their genuine leaders, noting that Ondo has had the privilege of being led by governors who are not only intellectually sophisticated but also deeply knowledgeable in their chosen careers, having received a thorough education and training.
He pledged: “As the Secretary General of Afenifere, we shall join forces with progressive forces for restructuring the Federation for true federalism,”
Ebiseni who served as the South West Coordinator of the Obi/Datti Presidential Campaign in the last election, will be running on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
His words: “If you follow the trajectory of governance from the Ajasin era, our state, has had a rare privilege of being governed by governors who are not only intellectually suave, grounded in their chosen careers, thoroughly-bred, and groomed in the ideology of the Awolowo school of thought which defines our welfarist programmes with which our people and politics have been identified.
“Besides Ondo State people are very proud and having produced Ajasin, Adefarati, Agagu, Mimiko and Akeredolu who were and are men who gave our state delightful corporate image in the comity of governors must always strive, like one of the leaders of the party told me when I visited him on consultations, to maintain such standards.”
According to him, to bring meaningful development into the state, the new leader must be acquainted with the terrain and the people.
He said this understanding would enable the elected governorto ensure a fair distribution of the state’s wealth.
“Development of our state also requires being fully acquainted with the territory and the people.
“Such knowledge affords the new manager the opportunity of the location of resources, creates wealth from there and fairly allocates the same without undue concentration in one or few places.
“From serving as an elected Local Government Chairman, to being Commissioner three times in the strategic Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources, we have comparative advantage in the knowledge of the state and the geopolitical distribution of its natural resources.
His words: “These include oil and gas, forestry resources, economic crops, solid minerals.
“Diversification of the economy of the state from over-reliance on the federation account is the only means of getting out of the woods and must be prioritized.
“There is a creative way of developing our resources within the provisions of the Constitution.
“Certain social services which sets our state apart ideologically and which have been discontinued or totally abandoned must be resuscitated in terms of quality and affordable education and health services including the Mother and Child hospitals which will be fairly extended in the zones and many of such welfare programmes.
“It is a cheap petit-bourgeois mind-set to argue that the state cannot afford such existential programmes. I was privileged to be part of the team that accomplished this for the state.”
He said: “Development of our state also requires being fully acquainted with the territory and the people. Such knowledge affords the new manager the opportunity of the location of resources, creates wealth therefrom and fairly allocate same without undue concentration in one or few places.”
Stressing that he has a comparative advantage over other contestants in the race, in the knowledge of the state, having served as a council chairman and three times commissioner in the state, he pledged the diversification of the economy of the state from over-reliance on federal allocation, as top priority.”
Ebiseni, a former Governorship aspirant and ex-senatorial aspirant both on the PDP platform, a former Deputy Governorship Candidate of the Democratic Party Alliance, the first Commissioner for Environment in Ondo State and indeed a former three times commissioner in the state, first Coordinator Atiku Presidential Campaigns in Ondo State 2019, a former member of PDP Presidential Campaign Council and Legal Committee, PDP Chief Electoral Officer/ Collation Agent 2019 General Elections, Chancellor of Ilaje Diocese of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, former Students Leader, former Chairman of Ilaje/Ese-Odo Local Government, former Director of Oluwa Glass Company Limited, and a former Chairman of Ondo State Law Commission, was a delegate of the South West to the 2014 National Conference.
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