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The first-rate performance of outgoing Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, CON, FCA since assumption of office remains a cynosure of all eyes. This far-sighted and astute politician painstakingly pursue his mission to re-build on the strength that Ogun state must be compassionate to the poor, weak and vulnerable in the society and must provide the highest quality of amenities to better their lot in the present and for future needs. It is this philosophical and ideological position that has made his government a benchmark for other states in Nigeria.
The concept of re-building in policy terms assume that there are structures on ground to be reengineered. Another assumption for the “rebuilding” concept is that structures on ground are in a state of despair, disuse or outdated and therefore incapable of serving projected future needs.
Given the level of developmental drought in Ogun State, especially in the State capital, compounded by an almost paralyzed governance in the last year or so of the previous administration, following a protracted face-off between the executive and legislative arms of government, public administrators and governorship candidates in the state have much to learn from the transformational strides of the Amosun administration.
Sentiment aside, discerning minds will agree that Amosun was on point in undertaking great social and economic experiment, noble in motive and far-reaching in purpose that anyone nursing ambition of succeeding him must be ready to consolidate. Perhaps, the most interesting thing about Amosun feat is that his works speak for him. You need not tell lie in the effort to highlight his performances. This much has been attested to by most residents and visitors to the gateway state. Ambassador Chris Cooter, Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, in April 14, 2013 said: “The Governor has been emphasizing that his administration is very particular about hard work. Here we are on a Sunday, I look at the construction going on, definitely, I am impressed. It is going to transform the state, no doubt. Whether it is canal, the road network, health or education, clearly, I can see a demonstration of the ‘can do attitude’. I have not been to a state where people are working quite as hard as this one, and I have been in most of them now…”
The government was challenged to invest heavily in infrastructural and rural development. This is a critical component of the ‘Mission to Rebuild’ in terms of creating an environment that supports industry and commerce as well as enabling inclusive economic growth. As at 2016, about 357.11 km standard roads and a total of 15 flyovers bridges had been completed while a total of 312 roads had also been maintained and repaired in all the three senatorial districts of the State. To a discerning mind and contrary to argument of the short-sighted on propriety of building bridges, infrastructural investment under Amosun has created an environment that enables businesses to thrive, attracts investment and open up new (and existing) areas for growth.
The present administration will forever be remembered as one that constructed the Ibara-Totoro Road, the first international standard six-lane road in the State. It built the flyover at Ibara, Abeokuta, also the first constructed by any administration since the creation of the State in 1976. The first 10-lane boulevard, which begins at Sokori and opens up into the elaborate Itoku Bridge, is a stamp of modernisation affixed to the state capital by the current administration.
The Amosun government brought to reality the Mobalufon overhead bridge in Ijebu Ode, which had been in the master plan of the State for decades, thus closing the slaughter-slab at the Mobalufon end of the Sagamu-Benin Road. Other overhead bridges in Sabo, Sagamu, Lagos Garage in Ijebu Ode, Sapon and Iyana Mortuary in Abeokuta have been completed and commissioned while work is ongoing in those at Ijebu Igbo and Ilaro.
The Amosun administration constructed the longest road, cutting across four local councils in Ogun West Senatorial District, the 107km Ilara-Ijoun Road. It ended the distress of commuters in and across Ado-Odo Ota Local Council through massive reconstruction of the strategically-located and commercially-important Ilo-Awela Road and modernised Ota through modern township roads. Ogun State, under the current government, is one huge construction site. The number of township roads, bridges rehabilitated or still under construction across the State are too numerous to mention.
Alongside infrastructural development, Amosun has carved out a niche for revolutionizing the finance sector. Finance and financial policy under Senator Ibikunle Amosun administration is not short of ambition. The administration has put the state on the path of sustainable and inclusive growth and development across the State. The report of the World Bank, Doing Business in Nigeria 2014, rates Ogun, out of 35 states and FCT, as one of the five states that made the biggest strides towards the national frontier of good practices. The same World Bank, in 2008 and 2010 reports, ranked Ogun State as among the lowest overall performers among the 36 states in Nigeria in terms of Ease of Doing Business.
According to the 2014 Report, “Thanks to a concerted effort across federal and state authorities and in collaboration with the private sector, Ogun improved on three of the four Doing Business indicators benchmarked. The construction permitting system was radically overhauled with the state government authorities decentralizing the approval system and a new committee monitoring delays. Building permit applications and payments can now be made simultaneously in district offices. Private professionals issue environmental-impact assessments in accordance with the conditions and templates set out in a framework agreement. The certificate of completion is issued on the spot immediately following the final inspection.
On security, Amosun administration purchased the very latest technology Armoured Personnel Carriers (the first in Nigeria), hundreds of patrol vans fitted with modern communication gadgets and invested massively in the welfare of the security personnel which dispelled the fog of insecurity upon the state with its debilitating consequences on investments.
Similarly, affordable and efficient healthcare delivery is another cardinal development agenda of the Mission to rebuild project where the administration has performed creditably well. To ensure a world-class secondary and tertiary level healthcare that supports the primary healthcare in the state, a state-of-the-art Radio-Diagnostic Centre has been established in Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH) through a Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative. This Centre provides services such as multi-dimensional digital X-ray, ultrasound facility, telemedicine, mammography, fluoroscopy and CT scan.
The Amosun government was the first to pay its MDGs counterpart fund of N60 million to each of the three LGAs chosen as pilot project by the central MDGs. Its Gbomoro health scheme which covered nine local councils ensured that pregnant women not only enjoy free health services but receive free ante-natal materials and ‘mama kit’ for mother and baby. Maternal mortality of enrollees throughout the duration of the scheme was zero, a proud accomplishment by any administration.
On a final note, for Ogun to continue to serve as a model for good governance , aspiring candidates into executive and legislative arms of government in the state must be ready to jealously preserve and sustain the Amosun’s legacies with the necessary political will.
Kazeem Olagoke writes from Abeokuta North LGA, Ogun State.
