A governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who is also the party’s deputy national chairman, South-west, Chief Dr Eddy Olafeso, has promised to redress “nepotistic and fraudulent kind of governance” if elected governor of Ondo in the election slated for October 10 this year.
The party has fixed July 22 for its primary election in the state.
Dr. Olafeso made this pledge in Abuja after obtaining the Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms to contest the governorship primaries.
He said:”Today marks a critical step in the journey to redress the nepotistic and fraudulent kind of governance, which has resulted into decayed infrastructure, education, social and human capital and capacity development that have dogged every sphere of Ondo state.”
“The political experience in Ondo state as presently configured is skewed in appointments and infrastructural development abandoning a sizable chunk of the state in abject disrepair.
“Education, which is the focal pillar on which the society rests, has gone comatose as students in tertiary institutions across the state are dropping out of school on a daily basis due to government’s insensitivity in an astronomical increase in fees. This is not only limited to the higher institutions of learning as primary and secondary schools have their own share of the increase in fees making education an IGR point.”
Olafeso pledged that if elected, “We are not going to pay lip service to these critical aspects of development as our collective existence rests on them. Our resolve is to identify areas of funding to enable us to give life back to our people through a serious revenue drive that will not be a burden on our people but will yield responsible finances to the coffers of government, mostly god-given resources; through tourism and other nature endowed resources.”
“Our very fertile land and forest reserves will help in generating enormous resources for use for the state as we look inwards to better the lot of our people other than waiting for crumbs from the table of the federal government.
“We will run an all-inclusive government to access ideas and contributions from within and without the immediate environment. We will partner international agencies of development to enhance the economy of Ondo state.”
