Jun 22nd, 2009
Our Redemption Mission for Ondo On High Gear – Mimiko
For Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State, democracy dividend is more than just infrastructure. It has more to do with psychological and spiritual contentment. That is what he says the people are enjoying at the moment with the knowledge that their affairs are no longer being managed by a king that they did not crown. Now they have their own king. However, he says that beyond this, his government is already making remarkable progress to let the people know that they did not make the wrong choice, as his mission to redeem the state from years of the locusts gathers momentum. He spoke about this and other issues with reporters in Akure, to mark his 100 days in office.
Group Politics Editor, SUNNY IGBOANUGO, was there.
Excerpts:
How are you dealing with the slump in revenue, which your counterparts are crying about or are you not affected?
The drop in revenue is a concern. It is a concern for us in this state. It is a concern nationally. It is a concern globally. But I also believe that for every situation there are also opportunities. The situation provides the opportunities to fast track whatever programmes we have on alternative sources of revenue. We have a programme that we will unveil at the appropriate time on how to increase on what we are generating internally. Number two, we are also developing a partnership programme such that some of these development programmes will not have to be driven with government revenue, like our intervention in housing. We want to encourage savings with mortgage institutions. So, most people are going to pick up the houses under this programme. They are going to take mortgages on them. But it is a PPP (Public Private Partnership). These houses are being developed with private funds by Aso Savings, FCMB and Union Homes. So, we are going to generate new sources in income. As a matter of fact, we are creating a PPP desk in the governor’s office to bring it to the forefront of government developmental activities. And of course like I said we are also looking around the globe for partners who are ready to invest in social services. And we are also looking for long term fund globally to invest in Ondo State. But most importantly, it is the creativity and determination of our people to develop that will drive development in this state not the money.
Everywhere you go in Akure, you see a concentration of billboards singing praises of Olusegun Mimiko. Couldn’t you invest the money for these billboards into more productive ventures that would truly benefit the people?
Let me say this unequivocally in capital this government has not spent 0.000001 kobo on billboards and we will never do it. As a matter of fact, let me tell you, we have friends here too and we have local governments. Have you seen any local government advertising congratulatory messages for Dr. Mimiko for hundred days? You think it just happened. We gave specific standing instructions written, documented and sent to all the local governments. It is not that we want to deprive newspapers of the revenue. But the point is that we want to discourage all these frivolities. All these, the governor is doing birthday every local government is advertising, to what end. It is stupidity. We will not be part of it. We have not spend 0.00000000001 kobo on billboards. All those billboards that you see celebrating Iroko is still part of the hangover of the excitement of what has happened in this place. And when you look at those billboards you will see this is courtesy of Iroko Vanguard, Iroko Forum. But 100 days, even the outgoing government that spent almost N100 million on billboards, people are saying let us remove these billboards or at least paste our own papers there because the billboards are already standing. I said just leave the billboards, with time we will know what to do because they are all over the place.
Some of the roads you are going into, like the Obese Road, are federal roads. How are you going recover the money you are going to spend on them?
Obese Road, the point you have said is well made. If you were staying in this state or you had to travel to Abuja and you had to go through Owo Road, you will see that that Obese spot people stay two, three hours to be able to move a distance of less three electricity poles apart. We talked to the federal controller of works. We did everything. But we don’t delude ourselves. We know the weight the Federal Government is carrying. I am sure there must be up to almost a million spots like that in Nigeria that need immediate attention. And because that road services our people; that road is in Ondo State territory, we are doing it with the faith that some day we will be able to recoup our fund. But we had to do it. It is part of our responsibility to our people and to people passing through Ondo State. It is a scandal. It is used to be two, three hours on the same spot. It is Ondo State soil, and that is why we are doing it. And what is the yardstick to know whether investment is worth it or not. It brings joy to the heart of people. In democracy, we are talking about development. The overall to encapsulate everything is joy. And I once spoke proverbially. I said that in 100 days we would have achieved more than they achieved in six years. I could see some newspapers now saying it is not possible. Where are the landmarks? I said these are ignorant people. In terms of achievement, I say it if there is any scale of measuring the quantum of joy in the heart of the people of Ondo State, we have put more joy in 100 days than they have done in six years. We were talking proverbially. I don’t think that I will build more houses in 100 days. I was just tipping the imagination of people to know that the ultimate to all these efforts we are making is the joy that we bring to the heart of the people. That is all. That is the whole essence of all of these. I can tell you that Obese Road is worthy investment because people are joyous, happy and grateful that government is paying attention to it.
What is your assessment of 10 years of democracy in Nigeria, which we celebrated recently? Do we have any reason to be happy that the military is no longer in power?
What is democracy? What is the essence of democracy? The essence of democracy is happiness, joy. The question I will put back to you and that is the only way to assess it; within the last 10 years, on an aggregate of happiness and joy and fulfilment, have our people been more fulfilled than they have in the previous years of military rule. If you use Ondo State yardstick as of today; we may not be able to get the aggregate for the whole country, I can tell you that Ondo State is excited today. We are thanking God for the opportunity that they elected somebody and he is there. Even if it has not already translated into immediate increase in their material wherewithal, the fact that they elected somebody who is responsive to their yearning, it has brought joy to their heart. People have talked about benevolent dictatorship. Let us for a minute look the major infrastructural development in this country in the last 40 years. Look at the refineries, look at third mainland bridge; a lot of them took place during the military era. The question is, has that brought fulfilment to the people? If such major infrastructural development was going on, and people kept yearning that they are for democracy, then there must be something about democracy that is even more than infrastructure. Who built the refineries, Third Mainland Bridge, Murtala Mohammed Airport? Look at those major infrastructures, most of them were built by the military. But people kept agitating, we want democracy. The fact that you can elect your representative and he is there, gives more joy than infrastructure. Now, the tragedy about it is that, has the system allowed us to elect our representatives in this country. How has the electoral system been? Has it improved? Is it degenerating? What is the trend?
So, in spite of all the limitations that we have, the fact that we are going consistently having civil rule from Garrison politics to whatever, I believe that when the system goes on like this, whether we like it or not, with time leaders that the people believe in will get thrown up in the system and we will be on the path of irreversible development. We can do more. We can do better. But something tells me clearly because I lived in this country during military era and I am living here now, that there is something about democracy that gives some measure of fulfilment and freedom to people that you cannot buy. That even all the infrastructure in the world cannot buy. We are not there yet. But Ondo State what we have undergone in the last two years is social revolution of sort. And when people listen to me I keep saying that we thank Mr. President. And I know what I am talking about, because the fact that the judiciary was allowed to blossom especially in the case of Ondo State is a plus for democracy. But we are not there yet. All we need to do as a people, one: whatever we can do to strengthen the judiciary, we must strengthen the judiciary. Because ultimately if the judiciary is strengthened, and the judiciary in its independence can make independent decisions, then we will be on our path. INEC or whatever name it is called. The argument about whether it is the President or the NJC that should choose the INEC chairman, I think it is reducing the argument to a pedestrian realm. When you say NJC, it looks like some mystical entity. But NJC is the Chief Justice of Nigeria and it is the President that picks the chief justice of Nigeria. So, the issue must be bigger than who chooses INEC chairman. If a President really wants to influence it, there are one million ways the president can influence NJC even to pick whoever he wants as INEC chairman. But the issue that I think we should be harping upon, because the independence of INEC is very important and critical, is how can we ensure that if per chance a fairly good person is INEC chairman he can be truly independent. If we ensure and this is very important that the President cannot remove the INEC chairman, even if he nominates him; if we are sure that INEC is on the first line charge, it has nothing to do with whether the President likes the face of the chairman or not, or whether he is dancing to his tune or not; his money is from the consolidated revenue; they cannot remove him; then, those that work with him at the state level, the Resident Electoral Commissioners are not picked by the President; they have a career line with INEC; it is INEC that they are entitled to, that determines there discipline; and once they are in that career line, their discipline and everything is independent of the executive; if we don’t have that in place even if it is NJC that picks INEC chairman, or whatever name you call it, we can’t go far. What is more important that we should focus on, is to ensure that we install the pillar that will ensure whoever is INEC chairman becomes independent. He will be accountable. I think we are wasting too much energy on who picks the INEC chairman.
No matter how concise, credible and foresighted your government is, you cannot achieve much if you don’t have peace. So, what efforts are you making at reconciliation – because we hear of the serious divisions in every sphere of influence in the state. How would you get your opponents to work with you to develop the state?
Let me just say this. Again, you have enough empirical evidence. The division you are talking about is not as deep as imagined. Civil service yes, but I make bold to say that 99 per cent of the civil servants were excited about the change that we had. You can find it out. So, I don’t want to sound immodest about it. Yes, some Kabiyesis were used and the truth why I don’t hold grudges against these Kabiyesis is that any governor that is immodest about the power at his disposal can always make a Kabiyesi to do anything. I am telling you the truth. Yes, some of them are bold. They will stand up. But how many Kabiyesis can stand up to a governor in Nigeria. So, I don’t have any grudge against the Kabiyesis. I would tell you what happened two, three days ago. Some people came to me recently to say there is a perception that because some Kabiyesis overstepped their bounds; like Bishop Gbonige said, some palaces were the centres of election rigging and multiple thumb printing; there is the perception that you are angry with Kabiyesi’s. And that the Kabiyesis are treading gently because they believe that this governor must be angry with them; and I said look, I am not angry with them. When I had a meeting with them I said look I will never bring you to the political terrain. I will mobilise you to help mobilise community for development. But I will never engage you in politics. At the symbolic luncheon we had to forget about the past and look forward to future development, the attendance was very impressive and all the Kabiyesis were in attendance. And I made it absolutely clear that I am a realist. I am also a student of power, and the use and misuse of power. And I told them that I thank those that stood up in the face of intimidation and understood those of them, who made their palaces centres of rigging in their palaces. But I say let’s put that behind and move on. And I said that the day I call you and draw you to the political terrain, just know that I am not a man of integrity because I will be denigrating your institution. It is very important for society for you to continue to carry this moral authority and the best way to lose that moral authority is to get involved in politics. Let politicians do their own thing. Don’t get involved and I will not abuse my office to get you involved in politics. And we had lunch and everybody enjoyed the excitement and went home happy.
Civil service, yes, it is 100 per cent. A few are still mentally detached and they are still looking at the good old days. But I can tell you that the process of reconciliation is on. And the first and most important process of reconciliation is to ensure that you do not out of political consideration victimise everybody and I can give you my word. People have told me, you know as governor I have more than two years. I have one million ears. And as Yoruba would say, I also have many stomachs.
I can assure you that I will never, never victimise anybody. Let me just tell you what is going on in Ondo State. I have never made any comment on who appears on Ondo radio or television. They bring PDP people there and they abuse me. I will just laugh and say look at these funny people. These people who refused even our paid adverts. They did not allow even one of our paid adverts to be aired on television or radio. They now come on radio and abuse governor. I beg you, just go ahead and do your work. It is part of the process of reconciliation. I have nothing against them. You know our local correspondents. They say I spent N1.9 billion for Government House. I will take you to the kitchen of the Government House, and whether any of you will be able to eat there with what they left behind. But the point I am making is that the process of reconciliation itself is a fact. We went to Okitipupa today. Of course, you need to see. I don’t want to sound immodest. But it was a street festival. Starting from Ijuodo through Ilututu, it was an exciting festival. People were at the street dancing and rejoicing. But PDP fixed today for their meeting. They were about 20 miserable people under the canopy. It stands to reason that if we are coming to town, they should fix another day. We just looked at them and waved at them and we all laughed. And even some of them acknowledged us. That is reconciliation in action. Our philosophy is there is room enough for all. We don’t have underground politics. Do your own and we do our own. In those days, they will not only machete all the Labour Party members that they see there, they will machete all of them and throw them into prison and make them to pass through a lot of physical and psychological trauma. But for us to be able to move forward, we put all of that behind us. They go to our radio. They go on our television. I have never said since I got here, go and look for that PDP; Commissioner of Police, this man stole money. That is reconciliation in action. All decisions that we will take will be dictated by what we perceived as the greatest interest of the greatest number in the society.
Sir, why are you embarking on sinking of boreholes instead of making public water schemes work? Remember that the last administration was heavily criticised for this. So why are you following this footstep?
Thank you very much. Boreholes will always be relevant in our water supply scheme in Ondo State and in every other part of this country. Essentially boreholes ultimately will be confined to the rural areas and the cities will be served by municipal water supplies. The last administration spent N14 billion or so on water. I make bold to say that this has not translated into the availability of water to the people of Ondo State. And we have analysed it. It is not all about stealing money. A lot has to do with incompetence too, because provision of water is essentially an engineering thing. It is not a thing for the boys to learn on the job or for political jobbers. I am not taking anything away from the former commissioner for utility who was in charge of water here, nor am I taking anything away from the chairman of the water corporation. I make bold to say that in terms of knowledge about the engineering and the technicalities of water, they are at best illiterates. They could be experts in their own fields; because when you look at the water plan and the way it was executed it never translated to drinking water for our people. People say they have stolen all the money. No! It is not about stealing money alone. You see, those boreholes refused to work from my own research. But we are not abandoning all those boreholes. For example since we came on board, we have reorganised water cooperation. Boreholes will continue to be relevant in understaffed areas. And you saw, when I was making my point about borehole, I was making references to the fact that we will ensure that this boreholes work. I said two things very significant. I said it that any borehole we put in place we are also going to put the community-driven maintenance mechanism in place. A lot of the boreholes some of them don’t even work just because there is a little problem with the pump. What is important is for these boreholes to be functional. I am challenging you as a journalist to go to any of our boreholes in six months and come and tell me if any of them is not functioning again. Borehole is not the ultimate. Municipal water supply is the ultimate. But even in Akure, more than 60 per cent of locations in Akure are not served by municipal water. That is a long time solution. We will even help communities to build canals. There are so many things we can do including boreholes. It is true boreholes became a bazaar, a job for the boys, all manners of people. In spite of the geo-physical deficiency that we say we have in this state, there are houses and neighbourhoods that have used boreholes for the past 20 years. And they worked effectively. And for all those boreholes, we did two geophysical surveys. Apart from the geophysical surveys that the contractors themselves did, we contracted FUTA and brought in experts to do geophysical surveys because that is the beginning of failure of boreholes. So, we are conscious of all of these. Boreholes remain stopgaps in municipal centres. But they will always continue to be relevant in the rural areas.
Some people say your cabinet is unwieldy, that the number makes nonsense of the talk about the slash of 25 per cent in the allowances of political appointees. What do you need that number of commissioners for?
This affords me the opportunity to tackle this issue. You see, the problem with government in many years is that we pretend. We are used to stereotypes. This is the number of commissioners; this is the number of number of ministries. There are some very vital aspects of our lives. Let us look at public transportation. There has never been a ministry of transport in this place. But everyday activities of public transportation impact on our lives. Look at our motor parks, would anybody say he is proud of the motor parks in Ondo State, like in most other places. You go there, you see all manners of miscreants. The whole place is dirty. They throw anything around. No decent person would want to sit down in a motor park, relax, and go into restaurant there. Are those things not important for a nation, for the re-branded Ondo State? Look we are rebranding our motor parks. You will see why we need the ministry of transport. You’ve seen the activities of the National Union of Road Transport Workers; that they kill and maim as if there is no government, there is no regulating bodies. That has got to stop. I am investing government money in critical areas that will impact on the lives of our people. Let me tell you 25 per cent is a lot of money. We didn’t only make of 25 per cent cut in salaries, we also made in allowances and that is the big thing. Salary is not more than 10 per cent of what people earn. The civil servants will tell you that. I don’t know the situation in the private sector. But in public sector, the thing is the allowance. The 25 per cent sacrifice that all political appointees are making in Ondo State is 25 per cent across board; salaries and allowances. And at the end of the day, we are doing our calculation and I want to tell with the number of ministries we have, our overhead will be less than the overhead of those that have compact 13 ministries. The point is this, there are some critical aspect of our lives that we cannot allow to drift. Look at community development. Community development used to be in ministry of agriculture. It is submerged inside agriculture there. I am sure the director in charge, probably treats one file in year. Yet, we came on board and say community development is the key of development that we are enunciating. We are putting up a model that we think can be copied, a community-driven development. We are mobilising all street associations in Ondo State. All the alatas, (pepper sellers) all the commodity associations. We are going to village. We are creating village committees and empower them with technical know-how with some credit to build their own dams, to irrigate their own fields, to build their own canals. It is a big thing we want to do in community development. So, because the norm is that it should not be more than 14 ministries, I should go and put it under agriculture where the commissioner will spend 90 per cent of his time thinking about how to grind cassava. So, deliberately we created the ministry of community development and cooperatives because they go hand in hand. And we think it is relevant in all to have a commission. There is no move that we have made that we have not calculated the cost. I said it, government is about choices. It is about decisions. Every decision we take in our perception is to the overall interest of our people in Ondo State.
We will employ more teachers and more doctors. It has nothing to do with more ministries. But the civil servants that are going to do the work of the ministry are already on ground. Where I perch there in my temporary accommodation, in presidential lodge here, although there was nothing presidential about it, we had to change all the stinking rugs by the time we got in there. But the point is that at the reception, there are 10 people at the reception there. As a matter of fact, they are so many that they have become even a hindrance to normal reception activities. We are not sending them out of the system. We are redeploying them to areas of more activities. Probably, one of them will be the receptionist of the commissioner for Community Development or transport. So, we are regenerating existing personnel. Then, each ministry will be focused with measurable milestones given to them, attainable goals. Not that we are calling press conferences; ministry of agriculture what have you done. We have paid pensions. We have done all those funny things that we are used to hearing. When we address a press conference on the goals, you will attend and you will put notes down. We are going to say so-so month, this is where we want to be. It is ascertainable.
Sir what has become of the University of Science and Technology project?
You know incidentally I was at Ekitipupa today. And the first question they ask me is what has become of the university. Although, some people said, yes we understand that we are looking at contracts and all of that, we are looking at all contracts, especially all the emergency contracts. In five months contracts worth almost N50billion were awarded. We are taking a global look at what we have. The debt on ground and what we are expecting. I have said it. I stated it during the campaign; the southern senatorial district deserves a tertiary institution. The emergency committee, emergency thing that they did is another issue entirely. But rest assured that they will take appropriate decisions where we have looked at all the contracts.
28 Responses to “Our Redemption Mission for Ondo On High Gear – Mimiko”
Our First Man has spoken and very well said. Yes early days yet but the sun is shinning. Ondo State is now becoming a real sunshine state and we pray that by the grace of God, that sun will not wane. God will guide His Excellency and God will protect us all in Ondo State. We wait for more good news and by the grace of God, all will be well. Amen.
Enjoy peace and happiness my people. Let us all work hard for a new Ondo State that the whole world and not only Nigeria will be proud of.
Mimiko’s burden
Talking Point Jun 23, 2009 By Rotimi Fasan and courtesy of the VANGUARD:
A COUPLE of weeks ago, Olusegun Mimiko, the Governor of Ondo State marked his 100 days in office and he listed among his achievements the execution of a few capital projects:
The on-going construction of a multi-million Naira Mother and Child Satellite Hospital, the construction of two housing units in Akure and Oba-Ile, and the establishment of neighbourhood markets to halt the menace of street trading, etc, etc.
The government also set aside the sum of N50 million to be disbursed as soft loan to traders across the State. These are very modest achievements indeed. There might be little to quarrel with, though, about the performance of an administration that came into office barely four months ago, in the wake of the failure of an administration with a capacity far less than is needed to run a local council.
But there is definitely much being expected from a popular politician, a governor and a government, whose emergence was preceded with promises of better times for the people.
In addition to its lacklustre performance, the Agagu government operated on a stolen mandate for two of the six years it spent in office. This was the view of many in Ondo State.
That view, happily, was shared by the Electoral Tribunal that sacked Agagu’s government and restored Mimiko’s mandate to him in Benin earlier this year.
The point really was that Ondo State had come to a cul-de-sac under the immediate past administration, and the people were in desperate need of a change after Agagu’s first term.
But that change was not to be, no thanks to the irregularities that marked the election, where names of prominent and notorious Nigerians, not indigenes of Ondo State, and foreigners featured on ballots as participants in the election.
It would take the revelation by MEND (one early indication that the group had missed its way) that it was being owed some half a billion Naira for helping to rig the election in favour of the PDP government in the State before other Nigerians would have an inkling of the fraud committed against the people of Ondo State.
MEND threatened to make the state ungovernable for the government if it did not pay up and made good on that threat by abducting a senior member of the administration.
That episode with MEND was faithfully highlighted in this column under the title MENDing Agagu’s skeleton. That was two years ago.
Now Mimiko has had his mandate restored, and it is as much a measure of the level of support the Ondo State people had in him as a politician and their disenchantment with the Agagu administration, that they voted for the Labour Party, a fringe party that had no solid base in Nigeria as a whole to say nothing of Ondo State.
One might even theorise that the marginality of the Labour Party was the reason Adams Oshiomole, labour activist and former NLC President now Governor of Edo State, chose to stand for election on the platform of the Action Congress.
Today, Ondo State is unique as the only state under the control of a party purportedly established to champion the interest of the masses of the people of Nigeria.
Given the present reality that political parties in Nigeria lack any serious form of ideological grounding separating them, one from another, personal performance is the only meaningful index left by which to judge any politician.
And it is on that basis rather than the ideology of the Labour Party that I and, I imagine, the people of Ondo would assess Mimiko in the fullness of time.
He came into office with a lot of goodwill, a goodwill which extended beyond Ondo State as was evident when he made a late appearance, days after being sworn-in, at the Obafemi Awolowo Centenary Lecture that was delivered by Professor Wole Soyinka at the NIIA in March.
Looking at him with his present Commissioner of Information, Ranti Akerele, who was between the mid 1980s to the early 1990s one of the rising presenters on the Ondo State Radiovision Corporation, I could see Ondo State entering a new phase with a new crop of leaders.
Which would seem to increase the expectation on Mimiko, a politician who rose through the ranks, in the grassroots of Ondo politics, becoming commissioner twice, secretary to the government of Ondo State and eventually minister under the Obasanjo government.
Yet, a few incidents have given me worries about the direction in which the government is headed. It is not so much what it has done as what it has not done.
These incidents have been reinforced by the LP/PDP violent clash and the abduction of wives of two members of the government, a permanent secretary and a commissioner, last week.
The first and last time we heard of abductions of this kind was the one involving MEND two years ago.
Prior to this the Governor came into office battling local government chairmen who came into office in controversial circumstances. The matter is still in court.
Then came the constant baiting by the PDP opposition. In all, the administration seems to be taking too long settling down, much time responding to the PDP and far less time at work.
These are distractions it would do well to avoid if it is to execute its mandate. No less confusing is the rationale for the appointment of 22 commissioners, up from eighteen, in a “middle-income” state with but 18 local government areas. Can the work begin now, Governor Mimiko?
YES THE WORK HAS BEGUN
nice to hear this i pray the almighty in his mercy would make all this aspirations cme through. amen
Akinsuulire Olakunlemi
Ex-Secretary General
Adeyemi College of Education
Student’s Union
2005/06 session.
OK NOW I AGREE WITH THIS PROJECT BUT MY QUESTION IS THIS – WILL ONDO STATE GET A REIMBURSEMENT FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR RISING TO THE OCCASSION AS IT SHOULD BE FG RESPONSIBILITY? PLEASE READ EXCERPTS COURTESY OF DAILY SUN:
Ondo Govt justifies N118m rehabilitation of Ogbese federal road
From LUCKY NWANKWERE, Abuja
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Ondo State government on Tuesday justified the N118 million contract award for the reconstruction of the failed portion on federal highway at Ogbese town along the Akure/Benin.
State Commissioner for Works, Mr. Yele Omogunwa who gave this assurance while speaking with newsmen in Ogbese shortly after an inspection tour of the rehabilitation work at the hitherto bad stretch along the busy federal highway assured that the present administration would not embark on frivolous projects without any positive impact on the lives of the people.
While expressing satisfaction at the pace of work by the construction firm, Omogunwa disclosed that Governor Olusegun Mimiko on assumption of office in February felt concerned about the deplorable conditions of federal roads in the state, particularly the federal highways and directed the state ministry of works to urgently set in motion the process of rehabilitating the road to ameliorate the suffering of road users and reduce the unnecessary carnages and loss of man-hour on the road. …
“You all saw the harrowing experience of commuters who ply this road which leads to Edo State as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja went through. If we say that because it is a federal highway and we close our eyes and allow the road to be completely cut off while lives and property worth millions of naira were being lost almost on a daily basis, it will be a disservice to this nation as well as our own people. This is the reason why we had to intervene despite our lean resources in order to arrest this ugly trend and we are happy that today, those who ply this road are happy despite what some people who ruled this state for six years and left the roads in ruins are saying,” Omogunwa explained.
The commissioner who insisted that contrary to the insinuations in some quarters that the amount of the contract was not commensurate with the nature and quality of the job expected by the state government stated: “Any right thinking and objective-minded person will see that the amount is commensurate with the type of job, given its planning and quality; the scope of the job as you can see, is huge. It is also very embracing and encompassing. In fact, there is no type of job on federal road that is of good quality as this one.” …
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Infrastructural Maintenance, Dr. Igbekele Daodu, said the concrete cast and drainage system were being handled in line with the contract specifications, disclosing that all the failed spots between Ogbese and Akure, the state capital were included in the contract sum.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr. Alex Aragbaye also noted that the project, which covers over 500 meters and designed with three layers of pavement, was carried out strictly in line with due process. …
Most of the commuters and residents of Ogbese who spoke with reporters on the development were full of praises for the Mimiko administration for rising to the occasion.
Pls what is the Governor’s official website? we need to access him directly.
I remember during the immediate past/ deposed administration, we did access former Gov. Agagu through a link on the state official website: http://www.ondostate.gov.ng.
But, that link has been disabled since our governor takes over the leadership. this is been done deliberately, because the managers of the official website happen to be PDP people, that designed that website. they use their company to get money and desingned and manage the site unto this day.
So they do not want citizens to reach the governor, in order to create a gap.
@Opeyemi, the governor has an official facebook on the web and can be accessed via this link:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Governor-Olusegun-Abdulrahman-Mimiko-of-Ondo-State-Nigeria/60984812916?_fb_noscript=1
Regards
Sorry, the facebook site is not “official”! Don’t go waste your time there.
The gov never calls himself “Abdulrahman”, for starters…
As far as I know there’s only one official website to reach the gov — the ondo state website : http://www.ondostate.gov.ng/
U are very correct Deji. The only one who claims to be christain in his family, the rest are Alhajis. Hope this Gov. is not fooling the people?
Well guys dont know the “agenda” here but all I did was use google and the facebook site is listed as “official” and it looked genuine enough for me. And all this Christian/Muslim divide is ‘OOOOOOLLLLLLDDDD” NEWS. Thought we have moved on from these below the belt comments. Sounds childish to me. So if the one person is a Christian in his family of “Alhaji’s” whats the fooling factor there? Thought only God could judge people on their chosen religion and didnt know that some men “mere humans” could see the heart as well. News to me but thanks all the same. Those who tried to fool all of the people all of the time have been shown the door and Governor Mimiko (yes Olusegun Abdulrahman Mimiko) will not be going that way. Sorry you detractors will be well disappointed while Ondo State under Governor Mimiko, still the man of the people, will forge ahead and march on.
Well folks in Ondo State, it is not news that many of those who kept on siphoning millions under Segun Agagu, with inflated contracts, phantom projects and get rich quick greed are not feeling happy at all. The status quo has changed and this is a new government of accountability and delivery of goods for only those ready to work hard for their keep. For a change think about the common man and let the love for them keep you going. No more of billions in few pockets and that is it.
Governor Mimiko is on Facebook and google calls it official. Thanks Otitoloju for not keeping to yourself the inner feeling which is quite not conformed to your self professed name. Oruko a ma san ni, dont let that name down and make sure your “Otito” does not become “Aisotito”.
Loving you all regardless for united we stand (nothing will divide Ondo State any longer). Time for goodness and mercy to follow the poor man all the days of our lives in Jesus name. Allah inana oh.
Peace
Dear Admin, any chance of getting something new on the site? I pray and hope that the site keeps actively active. Well done for all your good works to date.
omotaylor, i appreciate your constructive advice. My father was part of those who formed AG in th 1950s. My comment was an observation and i did not condemn or insult Gov. Mimiko, therefore, slow down and take it easy girl. Before the arrival of this government i can vividly recollect you and many others criticizing and publicly insulting Gov. Agagu and his cohorts in which we all put everything together including prayers to chase them out, thank God for that. Let me tell you, i joined politics because of Mimiko as the experience and effect of 1983 election affected my family most and that had discouraged every soul in that family. But i changed my mind and many others in my family because i believed so much in Mimiko but today we have been neglect and i call that used and dumped. I narrowly scaped death, My properties were destroyed and was chased out of my house for more that three months by PDP while i have to send my wife and 4 kids to leave with my friend when we had nowhere to sleep and my friend started sleeping with my wife. Now today i have no wife and work as people who were not with LP are considered by Gov. Mimiko to enjoy our labour. Now what have i and many others like me have gained? This is evil, tell Mimiko if he does not know. God will never support this type of attitude. I dont care if he is a pastor or an alhaji but he should not treat people like that if he call himself a man of God. We are very bitter.
@Opeyemi (Alias Oakorange)
You have come here again to spread your lies.
The Ondo State website remains that of the Government of Ondo State. You don’t need a link on the website to access the Governor but his e-mail adress.
The official e-mail address of the Governor is conspicuously highlighted on the website at http://www.ondostate.gov.ng and it is governor@ondostate.gov.ng . Also, info@ondostate.gov.ng is listed on the site and people have been sending messages to the government through the e-mails listed. Have you asked the Directors of SITDEC how they got e-mails across to Agagu?
BUT BECAUSE you have an agenda, and the wasteful venture of distroying all efforts of Agagu’s administration (including good ones like the successes recorded in ICT), you have branded the website that of the PDP even when the contractor in charge is also the contractor in charge of Lagos State Drivers’ Registration Institute recently commissioned by the forward looking SAN Babatunde Fashola; police biometric units etc. yet your types have continued to lie to the governor to re-award that same website contract and others even when there are truns and turns of ICT projects yet to be done. That is your mission here and nothing else. Incidentally, I work for the company in charge AND I BEFORE GOD VOTED FOR MIMIKO.
So, instead of you people to be waging immaginary wars with the former management of SITDEC who did their own part, you should consolidate and take Ondo State to the next level. You should also allow the governor to perform and not misinform him because of your own agenda to make fresh moneys from already awarded and concluded projects.
Miss Omotayo and others commenting here are not contractors like you. Alll they want is for their comments to get to Dr Mimiko. All they want is for you to stop lying and take over the day-to-day administration of the website BECAUSE it belongs to government not PDP. Query the Directors in SITDEC if they claim they do not know how to access people’s letters to Mimiko. Say the truth. Shame the devil.
@Others, you may not know where Opeyemi and I have started and the need for the lengthy discussion but Opeyemi knows and he will digest every line carefully better than people might imagine.
God bless the managers of this forum.
Everyone can check this link:
http://www.ondostate.gov.ng/askthegovernor.php
For these details:-
CONTACT ADDRESS
Office of the Executive Governor
1st Floor, Governor’s Office Building
Alagbaka G.R.A,
Akure, Ondo State,
Nigeria.
Phone:
+2348035792092; +2348035822370
+234(034)240716
Email: governor@ondostate.gov.ng
askthegovernor@ondostate.gov.ng
Website: http://www.ondostate.gov.ng/gov.php
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Olusegun-Abdulrahman-Mimiko/61194134172
The facebook page for the gov, just like this site, is created by private individuals who want to profile and push the Mimiko agenda, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. All I’m saying is that we need not be confused by the use of the “official”.
By the way, and all glory be to God, the gov is a bonafide, genuine, tongue-speaking, born-again Christian, there is absolutely no question about that!!!!
Thank God for all good people who are commenting because they have the love of Ondo State people and will want the present administration to succeed on behalf of the people. This is what should come first in our minds before any personal agenda.
I am not sure if Otitoloju’s disillusionment is premature or not for I do not profess to know what each person has in mind but one thing I will like to say to Otitoloju is this, there is virtue in patience. Not that only, for even if on the personal level your hopes have been dashed please take it easy (your advice to me), and take your disquiet direct to the governor first before coming on the website. For to be honest if we start to incite others because our personal wishes have not been met, it could boomerang. My brother (permit me to call you so sir) Otitoloju, yes I ranted at Agagu full swing and this was not because I was not one of those siphoning the state coffers and getting rich quick, but because of what he was doing to MY STATE and MY PEOPLE through his evil acts. I do not have any personal grudge or vendeta against Agatu and now that he cannot hurt my people any longer, I leave him alone but we watch his moves for evil people have ways of covertly trying to derail the good people, and my God will not allow this to happen. If Agagu has any case to answer in Ondo State and in Nigeria (Aviation et al), then by Jove he should answer because these Vagabonds In Power knew what they were doing and did not care a hoot for the common man.
Now the common man, the undertrodden, the underdog, the masses, here is my love and concern. If they are happy, I AM HAPPY no matter what I had to go through to ensure that Democracy is not murdered in Ondo State. MY brother, I am not trying to patronise you. No never, I am only trying to beg you to be patient. From what you said, seems you have gone through a lot. I feel very sorry for your bad experience. But do not ever let this get the better of you or turn you into a bitter person. Have no room for bitterness, let God fight your battles, write personal letters to His Excellency and please bear one thing in mind, IT IS NOT POSSIBLE FOR HIM TO SATISFY EVERYBODY THAT FOUGHT ALONGSIDE HIM. Sometimes I do feel sorry for our Governor for he really had millions on his side and he cannot ever satisfy everyone, he just cant.
I do not know about our Governor’s choice of the opposition to work in the Ondo State cabinet but one thing I can say is this: Mr Otitoloju, look at Obama, who is his Secretary of State? Hilary Clinton, the same lady that called him names when they fought each other for the Democrat seat. I understand that many people in PDP did not agree with the evil that PDP represented under Agagu in Ondo State, and yes they could not come out openly and fight their master then but they did not go the evil way with him and his cohorts. They were then PDP by name and by default but very Labour Party at heart. What they did instead was work hard on the inside to ensure that the truth is told. This is what I call “otitoloju” for real. If they were in the army and caught they would have been “beheaded” for espionage! So it is not possible for us to know all things. But one thing is clear, if we TRUST AND BELIEVE in someone, we dont quickly criticise them when things dont go our way. Please find it in your heart to “forgive” the “wrongs” perceived by you and dont get disillusioned on behalf of our dear people in Ondo State.
Some lost their lives, thank God for yours and mine, nitori ti emi ba wa, ireti mbe (if there is life there is hope). Mimiko had to extend the Olive branch to others and this is the hallmark of a true man of the people, who will never favour some and condemn others. Like a true father, Mimiko as governor of Ondo State must love ALL (friends and foe, omo dada ati omo dada nida keji). Love him for this and support and wait for even if it tarries it will come to you. Our God works in mysterious ways and He always delivers. All your sad experiences will turn to good in Jesus name. Job suffered worse but never cursed God for he trusted absolutely in God. This is why the latter end of Job was much much much better than his beginnings – Job 42 vs 10 & 12. Even Job’s wife asked him to curse God but he didnt. I dont know if you are a Christian my brother for if you are you can read the whole of the book of JOB for solidarity and strenght. Even our Muslim family can join in reading this story, for we are all one in God who loves us all dearly.
Oh my, have I written this much? Cant believe it. Hope my brother Otitoloju will understand where I am coming from and find time to email the governor’s office with any request. If the governor can meet it, sure he would, and if not, there must be a good reason ( the governor did not send me o, this is my candid belief).
Peace my people. We shall be blessed for God will never forsake the righteous or see His children begging bread.
Just would like to confirm that Mr Otitoloju read my comment as above. Remain blessed. It is well says the Lord.
Pls, When will Ondo State Government Web Site il’be working. thousand are waiting and eager to get information through this medium since no official is ready to pick calls any longer after all they are now big guys in the state.
We have also watched too, in disappointment, at the state of the official website. It’s appalling that the site has been down for more than 3 weeks already!!!
Information is power and lack of information is worse than misinformation for when there is no proper communication from the right departments in government, trouble makers could seize the opportunity to infect the people’s minds with falsities. The Ondo State official website should be an effective communication tool hence it is not good enough that dedicated personnel are not there to man and ensure its continuity. Something need to be done fast about this. Aren’t we interested in having an elitist Ondo State?
@Ebenezer, could it be that those “officials” have been hounded by too many unsolicited calls and hence have become wary of answering calls they do not recognise? I pray it is not a case of them feeling too important now to do this. Afterall they are public servants and must never forget that. The most important guys in Ondo State should be the ordinary people and this must never be forgotten. We have not fought so hard to have a democratic and egaliterean society in Ondo State only to have public officers wearing the mightier and higher than thou shoes. We must all learn from our past and make amends.
BE KIND TO PEOPLE YOU MEET ON YOUR WAY TO THE TOP AND WHEN YOU ARE AT THE TOP, FOR YOU COULD MEET THEM ON YOUR WAY DOWN. NO CONDITION IS PERMANENT.
Peace to my beloved people.
You guys have not opened your eyes yet, i pray to God to make you understand before its to late.WAKE UP!!!
My people, I wonder too. Becasue, in my four years of visiting this site; I have not seen it go down or have system failure. I thought the new administration in place will improve on what was left behind but looks like I really need to think otherwise. If in six months to office, this is happening then………..
Then what??? Maybe we should be officially asking questions as to why the site is non functional rather than insinuate or wonder or cast …
That said, do we have an email address for the Ondo State Commissioner of Information? Just so as to send a message asking for clarity.
Then may be its back to business as usual!
Email to commissioner of information? They won’t let him have it. All official emails are not being delivered. I have sent many without a single acknowledgement. Dr Olusegun Mimiko is working round the clock to make things work. But some few people are sabotaging him amongst his appointees for selfish reasons obviously. And they are trying to prevent others from having access to him. I think Admin should get a print out of all comments on this forum and forward same privately (in hard copies) to the Governor. The Governor I am sure does not even know that the state website is down so we cannot blame him.
STILL ON THUGERY:
Thugs disrupt AC meeting in Ondo
Yinka Oladoyinbo, Akure – 30.10.2009
There was pande-monium in Ikare-Akoko, Ondo State on Thursday, as a stakeholders meeting of the Action Congress (AC) slated for the town, ended in fiasco.
Many party leaders, including former commissioners, former members of the state House of Assembly, the state chairman of the party, Mr. Sola Iji, members of the executive of the party in the state, had to run to safety following the melee.
Sporadic gunshots were also witnessed in the meeting as men of the Nigeria Police, drafted to restore sanity, shot into the air to disperse the crowd.
One of the vehicles brought to the scene of the crisis, a Toyota Corolla, with registration number AA 960 KSF, was, however, vandalised by people suspected to be political thugs.
Some of the leaders that had already gathered for the meeting were the former Commissioner for Natural Resources, Dr. Akerele Adu; former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Jumoke Anifowose; the party’s Ondo central senatorial candidate in 2007, Mr. Bola Ilori, Mr. Afe Olowookere, among others. http://www.tribune.com.ng/30102009/news/news20.html
More trouble for PDP
PDP LG chairmen defect to AC in Edo
Uchechukwu Olisah, Benin City – 01.11.2009
Six local government council chairmen, two local government council vice chairman and a host of other members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo state on Saturday defected to the Action Congress (AC) at a rally in Benin City, which the AC described as a political earthquake.
The local government council chairmen that crossed over to the AC were those of Etsako Central, Mr. Stanley Odidi; Oredo, Mr. Ogieva Gbajumo; Egor, Mr. Crosby Eribo; Ikpoba Okha, Mrs. Itohan Osahon, Ovia North East, Mr. Faustine Ovienroba, and Uhunmwode, Mr. John Obazee.
The vice chairman of Akoko Edo local government area, Mr. Akin Agboja, the vice chairman of Igueben local government area, as well as a popular business man, transporter, and Benin High Chief, Chief John Osamede Adun, alias, Bob Izua, popular PDP women leader, Chief (Mrs.) Evelyn Igbafe, and a PDP leader in the state, Chief Henry Okoror, crossed over from the PDP to the AC. The list of the over 90 defectors and a their followers who were in their hundreds included serving PDP councillors and supervisory councillors, former members of the state House of Assembly and the House of Representatives which cut across the 18 local government areas of the state. http://www.tribune.com.ng/01112009/news/news10.html
Thanks Siloco for the additional insight. Maybe this website should be advertised more profoundly with all that concerns Ondo State Governance. As for those doing the sabotage business, they will fail because Mimiko WILL SUCCEED even against all odds. God has seen him this far and God will see him through. This is why I keep on calling for the sacred word – PATIENCE which is indeed a virtue. Ondo State will be redeemed and Mimiko exonorated.
If at all we love our people in Ondo State no one would for any selfish or evil reason make things hard for those working round the clock to impart positively on the State and make a difference.
Olorun a gbo igbe awon eni tire papa julo ni Ondo State.
Peace my people.
AND RELISH THIS FOLKS COURTESY OF NIGERIAN GUARDIAN
Ondo LP gets new members, Okpara, others return to Abia PDP
From Niyi Bello (Akure), Gordi Udeajah (Umuahia) and Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu (Benin)
THE rank of Labour Party (LP) members in Ondo State swelled at the weekend in Ifon, headquarters of Ose Local Council, when hundreds of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faithful defected to the ruling party.
Led by former chairman of the Board for Technical and Vocational Education during the last PDP administration of Dr. Olusegun Agagu, Elder Samuel Aborowa, the decampees, at an impressive rally, said they decided to join the LP because of the leadership style of Governor Olusegun Mimiko.
The Aborowa group in the PDP, which claimed to have thousands of supporters at the grassroots, said its movement out of the party has sounded its death knell in Ose, reputed to be one of the councils with high voter population.
Justifying the movement at the rally which was attended by a colorful array of LP chieftains led by the Deputy-Governor, Alhaji Alli Olanusi, Aborowa said: “The Labour Party is made up of progressives, peace-loving and caring people. With the few months they have governed the state under the leadership of Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, they have embarked on many projects that are people-oriented”.
Also in Umuahia, Abia State capital, members of the PDP in Abia Central District gathered in their hundreds to welcome back into their fold Chief Uzodinma Okpara, the former All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship candidate in the 2007 election in the state and son of the late premier of the defunct Eastern Region, Dr. Michael Iheonukara Okpara.
Also received into the PDP membership were Hope Onyekwere, a retired permanent secretary in the state civil service, Chinwe Obike and Chris Ugwu.
Welcoming them into the party and presenting each with an umbrella, which is the symbol of the PDP, National Chairman of the party, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, urged all members of the party to love one another.
Ogbulafor also urged and all and sundry to join and re-join the PDP, which he said, is large enough to accommodate everybody.
Leader of the party in the state and governorship candidate in the 2007 election, Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, said the large turn-out of party members attested to their poise to take over from the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) which performances so far he assured, the PDP will surpass.
Barely 24 hours after six local council chairmen and their supervisory councillors, two council vice chairmen and other party leaders defected from the PDP to the Action Congress (AC) in Edo State, the state chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, yesterday described the defected council chairmen as non- performing officials who had been penciled down for disciplinary action by the leadership of the party.
Reacting to the rally held at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin at the weekend, Orbih said the defected members had failed to meet the party’s standard in their performances, hence the party had no regrets over their defection.
“They are the people whom the party has set up a committee to try due to their non-performance. They are the chairmen who have been under probe due to non-performance. So we have no regrets, it is good riddance to bad rubbish”, he said.
Also reacting to the claim that he did not emerge through known electoral process, Orbih said he was elected through a congress that was held in March last year but he was not sworn in due to litigation by an aggrieved factional chairman, Edward Sado, who eventually withdrew his lawsuit and even attended the rally where he (Orbih) was presented to members of the party as chairman.