By Banji Ayoola
Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has charged the newly elected council chairmen in Ondo State to get cracking on ensuring that he wins the October 10 governorship election.
He asked them to immediately raise campaign committees to begin work at their respective councils once the campaign starts.
He particularly asked them to work hard at ensuring victory for him in the election.
The Governor spoke in Akure, the state capital at the swearing-in of the new council bosses, noting that APC victory at the coming election would guarantee their three years tenure in office.
According to him, electoral victory is at the units and wards which he stressed APC should win resoundingly.
Declaring that the October 10 election as operation 18 to zero like the just concluded council poll, he said praised residents of the state for the peaceful conduct of the local elections.
He stressed that the state and local government should work together to ensure people living in the villages get enough support from the government.
Besides, he asked them to focus on quality health care delivery, education, and agriculture.
Akeredolu said: “The state government cannot do it alone. Autonomy cannot do it alone. We must work together so that our people must feel the impact of the government. Focus on health care delivery. All the neglected health centres, take hold of them. Make the people own them.
“In Education, we have buildings we have built through SUBEB. Keep the schools clean. They are yours, they belong to the people
“Local governments must have their own farms. This is the time to make good money from cassava.
“This administration frowns at impunity in any form. We will not condone any acts which may put our achievements in jeopardy. We will monitor the activities of all those given the mandate to serve.
“We will encourage ingenuity and resourcefulness. We will sanction, swiftly, any errant behaviour which treats the welfare of the people with contempt.
“We have tried our best since the inception of this administration by making the people the central focus of all our policies. We have tried to keep all unscrupulous persons masquerading as servants of the people at bay. We have severed ties from those whose deeds and preferences stand against decency and are inimical to the well-being of the people.
“Our ambition has been shaped by the overriding interest of the State. We have never been under any illusion that governance will not pose its challenges considering the precarious state of the economy when we assumed office and the continued slide in the economic fortunes of the country.
“We have, however, remained undaunted and resolute in our resolve to abridge the yawning gap in the welfare of our people. We have taken steps in which posterity will adjudge as prescient.
“We have succeeded, largely, in abridging the infrastructural deficit in spite of the acute paucity of funds. Workers and citizens have felt the direct and positive impact of governance.”
Permanent secretary, cabinet and service matters, Mr Gbenga Elewuju, led the newly elected council chairmen in the oaths of office and allegiance at the event which took place at the Dome in Akure. The are all from the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
Responding on behalf of others, Alex Oladimeji from Ifedore local government appreciated the electorate for the opportunity to serve and assured Akeredolu of complementary governance at the grassroots.
