Bola Ilori in Akure, Ondo State
In a statement released through his media office, Ilori said Ondo people can celebrate for having lived as one indivisible entity since the state was created by General Muritala Muhammed in February 3, 1976.
The APC leader also expressed gladness for the sustenance of democracy since its return in 1999, which he attributed to the whole hearted embrace of democratic culture by the citizenry.
He explained that the heterogeneous nature of Nigeria should be a blessing rather than a curse following their united stance in struggle for political independence and affinity in their historical antecedents. Ilori used the opportunity to also call on Nigerians to take Nigerian projects seriously by treating every Nigerian as one in the spirit of brotherhood for a more cohesive and united nation.
He reminded the Nigerian public that though Nigeria at present is faced with some critical challenges ranging from economy to security, with its massive natural and human resource, it is capable of surmounting its challenges.
Speaking further, he stressed Ondo State should capitalize on the challenges provided by the precariousness of crude oil future to strategize and place herself economically ahead of others because of her natural endowments advantage.
Ilori said, at 40, Ondo State should be more proactive on how to maximize her profitability and be economically buoyant as a state gifted with lots of human and natural resource beside crude oil.
"Unlike some States in Southwest, Ondo could be called the God’s own state. Ondo is naturally rich, endowed with solid minerals and good vegetation. Our people are industrious and our soil is naturally suitable for several kinds of agricultural practice. What is lacking right now is leadership zeal and the right policy mix to turn the latent potentials to manifest prosperity of the people and the state." Bola Ilori expatiated.
“The team we have at the helm of affairs in Ondo State at present is a convergence of politicians with no genuine intention for development. They launched out with rhetoric of resisting the festering of a godfather but they have today metamorphosed into covens of demigods and tools for the entrenchment of their capon as God the father. One is however confident that the broom is the lecturer of flies, they shall soon keep a date with broom in the classroom of change” He continued.
"It's quite unfortunate that at 40, the streets of our dear state are piled with urchins, and trainee hands for local thuggery. The inheritance upon which their forefathers premised the future on has been railroaded. The elders are hungry at home without any social safety net. There was a time the civil servants of Ondo state beat their chest with pride. There was a time unemployment was only for the lazy in Ondo state. Whereas unemployment is currently a national malady, yet lesser endowed states as Ekiti and Osun still manages to offer minimal succour to citizenry. There was a time the teachers were really trained to teach, not now that non-teaching educationists are been drafted from Local government secretariats to hold forth for the ones that retired and resigned because the present administration continued to over stretch them. Is it not regrettable that Ondo State is now competing with less endowed landlocked states like Ekiti and Osun for the title of highest salary debtor in the South West? As of today, the oil producing and derivation collecting Ondo state owes more outstanding salaries, pension and deductions than any other state in the South West" Ilori thundered.
“Insincerity has eaten so deep into the governance, and the ethos of the current band in Ondo state house that shame could not allow them reveal the real debt profile of the state. When other states declared their true debt and got bailout which was subsequently paid to their workers, Ondo state government chose to lie about the real debt profile and its now reaping the profane fruit of deceit as the bailout fund was consequentially sank by Access Bank because of huge undisclosed outstanding debt.” ”I challenge the government to publish how it shared the twenty billion naira bailout fund he got from the APC led Federal Government in October 2015. Nobody has received any salary or pension bank alert in Ondo State since October 2015 till date.” Ilori submitted.
He charged people of Ondo to embrace the breeze of change blowing across the nation in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in order for the Sunshine State to take her rightful position in Nigeria.
Bola Ilori expressed optimism that Ondo State has the wherewithal to be an iconic state with best infrastructures in Nigeria, if the right leadership with broadminded disposition and sustainable development agenda is put in place.
However, Ilori believes there are better days ahead for the State. He urged people of Ondo State to remember the significance of 40th birthday which says 'a fool at forty, is a fool forever' for people to take charge and rescue the State from the present PDP led government that has continued to mishandle the state resources which made her clock to be moving in rather backward direction.
"No more foolery in Ondo, change cometh!." Ilori concluded.
No comments:
Post a Comment