Speech read by Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, Gubernatorial Candidate of the Labour Party announcing his decision to contest the 2007 Gubernatorial Election, on December 14, 2006, at Akure, Ondo State.
Protocols.
The good people of Ondo State. It is with much joy and deep satisfaction that I join you this day to give expression to our collective desire and age-long struggle for good governance in our dear Sunshine State. It has been four long years since we have been in this boat. It is time again to demonstrate our belief in the age-long aphorism that in a democracy, the people is supreme; and that power belongs to them. Not since Ondo State was created in February 1976 have we had the type of single-mindedness on the need for change in the direction in which our State is moving as we have it today. The voice of our people is loud and clear for all those who care to listen that come May 29, 2007, a new leadership that is on the side of the people is mounting the saddle. The voice of the people, that popular saying goes, is the voice of God.
The past one and half years during which it has pleased God through the grace of our President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to have me serve as a Minister of the Federal Republic has been for me a period of tutelage in responsible governance. I want to seize this opportunity to express my deep and sincere appreciation to Mr. President for considering me worthy to serve in the exalted capacity as the nation’s Minister for Housing and Urban Development. In those very stimulating months, July 2005 to December 8, 2006, I worked closely with Mr. President, and I can say without any fear of contradiction that I have learnt so much from him. My experience has enriched my vision, deepened my commitment to our country and provided me, more than ever before, with great hope that the future of our country, the future of our State is bright. Once again, Mr. President, I thank you on behalf of the good people of Ondo State, for the privilege that you gave to me to be a part of the wonderful legacy you are leaving our dear country with.
Let me assert for the umpteenth time, that the Federal Government has made gigantic strides in creating a strong environment for States and Local Governments to achieve grassroots development which will positively impact the life of our people. This macroeconomic environment makes it possible for visionary State governments to partner with the private sector, both local and international, to undertake significant projects in both the social and economic sectors to transform their States. A good example is Cross River State – a State whose monthly allocation is less than 40% of Ondo State’s. Taking advantage of the environment created by the Federal Government, Cross River State is now the preferred tourism destination in Nigeria. It is the largest producer of pineapple in Nigeria, and has become the second largest producer of cocoa. In fact, if the current paralysis in Ondo State continues, Ondo will soon fall behind Cross River in cocoa production.
As I said late last year when I was privileged to represent Mr. President at Owo, during the commissioning of the Adekunle Ajasin Foundation Centre, there is no State government in this country whose allocation from the Federation Account has not quadrupled since President Obasanjo came into office in 1999. In Ondo State for example, whereas the total allocation from the Federation Account from May 1999 and April 2003 was about N40billion, the corresponding figure for the period between May 2003 and December 2006 is in excess of N120billion. In 1999, just before the advent of civil rule, Ondo State’s total budget was N3.719 billion. For 2006, the current Administration presented a budget of N43.5billion, a growth of 1,170% over the 1999 figure. The Ondo State Government in the past four years has had more revenues at its disposal than at any other time in our State’s history. In fact in relative terms, the resources available to the current administration are perhaps more than all the revenues the State had from 1976 when it was created to 2003 when the present government came into office. In July this year alone, Ondo State received from the Federation Account a total of Nine Billion Naira (N9bn)!
I humbly invite you, distinguished citizens of our State, to judge if Ondo State has witnessed a corresponding level of development these past four years. Rather, there is an obvious lack of good governance starring us all in the face. Education, the legacy which our forefathers bequeathed to us is in shambles. An incredible amount of burden is placed on our parents to pay more through sundry devices for education that continues to recede in quality. Basic infrastructures continue to collapse as government engages in endless planning that fail to impact on the people and translate into development. We have these past four years in Ondo State been long on planning and paper work and incredibly short on delivery and performance. We have not seen replicated in our State those glorious steps in good governance that is the hallmark of the Obasanjo Administration since the debut of civil democratic rule in 1999. Indeed, never before since the creation of Ondo State has government been this far from the people!
It is to be noted that this arrant lack of governance is the very basis for the strong and palpable yearning across the State for a change of guard at the Alagbaka Government House. As you all are very much aware, in the past several weeks, I have been subjected to intense pressure from well-meaning people from all the social strata across the State that I should resign from the Federal cabinet and join the gubernatorial race so that jointly, you and I could salvage our dear State from the throes of misgovernace into which it has slipped these past three and half years. One screaming poster actually declared Dr Mimiko wanted as Governor! One likened us to David that was set to undo the Goliath of want and poverty in our State.!! I feel greatly humbled by these outpouring of love demonstrated by our people – market women, public servants, students, farmers, artisans, transporters, including NURTW and okada operators, and the horde of the unemployed.
Permit me, good people of Ondo State to use this opportunity to hereby solemnly declare before all of you that I have accepted to lead this great crusade of our people for a new beginning for our State by offering myself to be voted for by you the good people of Ondo State as your Governor, your servant, in the April 2007 elections. Not to do so in the context of the growing frustration across the land would have amounted to a sin. And in this struggle, we are determined, working together, to make Ondo State the best administered State in this country and the cynosure of all eyes, about which all of us shall be proud. Our destination is a fully re-positioned Ondo State where equity, justice, and fairness shall prevail. This is our ship of State. It is on sail to the land of opportunity and fulfilled aspirations. I feel confident to say to all of you who share this noble and collective aspiration, welcome on board.
Let me at this juncture give expression to a fact that is now clearly obvious. It is on the nature of our crusade. I declare with every sense of responsibility that this is one crusade that is beyond the limited confines of a single political party. What we have is a rainbow coalition of some sort. It is a mass movement in which there is room enough for all. That is why it became necessary to adopt as our platform a political party that most represents this collective aspiration of our people, the LABOUR PARTY. It is a platform for all of us. The only qualification you require to be on board therefore is that you must be persuaded that the time has come not just for change, but for positive change. The time has come when water must begin to flow from our taps and not anymore only on our television screens; that the time has come when we should go beyond every form of window or surface dressing of all issues, particularly of our roads; that the time has come when the desires and aspirations of our people and not that of a single family shall be the basis of governance; that what we deserve is a Governor who would appreciate why it is necessary to stay at home and attend to a paralyzing industrial action in the health sector of all places rather than jet off to some foreign countries for some nondescript mission. As long as you subscribe to the above, you more than qualify to join us on this train as it cruises to a new beginning of governmental responsibility and responsiveness.
I also welcome on board many of our incumbent public office holders who by training and orientation are natural members of this emergent coalition for social change in Ondo State but who for one reason or the other, and perhaps due to no fault of theirs, have found themselves on this strange island of governance distinguished by very limited social commitment. Our platform for change beckons.
Permit me to also solemnly pledge, my good people of Ondo State, that we would not spend the first two years of our Administration to plan and draw up a roadmap, which by reason of poor implementation, would only succeed in leading the people to poverty and despondence. Rather, the nature of our experience in the governance of this State is such that will make it possible for us to commence work from day one such that at the end of our first 100 days in office, we would have achieved more than what the incumbent State government has been able to achieve in more than three and a half years.
People of Ondo State, the time to work is now. Let us work and ensure that we avoid any act that can disrupt the smooth running of governance in the four months that remain for this government. Let us be vigilant to ensure that a government from which God and the people of this State have departed will not go ahead to steal our votes. Let us watch out to ensure that they do not provoke us to violence. We just must continue in our determination to rescue our State from the suffocating grip of an imperial family that has to all intents and purposes turned our State into a private family estate in four quick years.
On a final note, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, let me inform you that today is not a day of long speeches. Our Party leaders have slated for me a Press Conference here in Akure early next week. It is going to be a forum for presenting the details of our programme to you all.
Once again, I thank you for being here today. You have spoken with your presence that it is onward march to the Alagbaka Government House.
LONG LIVE LABOUR PARTY, LONG LIVE ONDO STATE, LONG LIVE NIGERIA
ROOM ENOUGH FOR ALL
KARIN KAPO, YIYE LONYENI
ILOSIWAJU ONDO STATE DI OWO GBOGBO WA O
A Caring Heart: A speech given by Dr Mimiko on February 19, 2007 listing the 12-point agenda of his administration. Excerpts: