8 years after: Oyinlola, a man of vision ― Aregbesola

THE outgoing Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun on Monday described his predecessor in office, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola as a man of vision for conceptualising the Technical College, Osogbo, saying despite political difference, the former governor deserved to be honoured for his commitment to the development of technical education and skills acquisition in the state.

Aregbesola, who spoke during the official inauguration of The Technical College, Osogbo, christened “A Life Academy said honour should be given to those who are due, recalling that the vision of Oyinlola to implement the project must be commended.

He stated “I am not here to commission this technical college because it is not my project. This project was started by the administration of the former governor of this state, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola. That is why we have invited him to commission this project. He is here represented by the former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr Kazeem Adio.”

Aregbesola continued, “Oyinlola could not complete this project before the sudden exit of his government. When we came on board, we were fed with lies on the state of the project. But, shortly after I won my re-election into office in 2014 and Oyinlola who was  a member of our party brought me here to see the equipment already procured, I was amazed and I made a promise to him to complete this project.”

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“I deliberately ensure that the plague of this project bears the name of Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola because honour should be accorded to those it is due. He was the one that invited the Israeli firm, Skill G that commenced the implementation of this project,” the governor remarked.

Aregbesola, who later commissioned Fakunle Unity Government High School, Osogbo, Obafemi Awolowo Way, Oba Adesoji Aderemi Road said the completion of The Technical College, Osogbo was in fulfilment of his promise to Oyinlola and also in tandem with his developmental agenda for Osun State.

Earlier in his speech, Oyinlola, who was represented by his former SSG, Mr Kazeem Adio said “I thank the government of Osun State for deeming it fit to give me the honour of inaugurating this project. I particularly congratulate the Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola for completing this project to the glory of God and for the good of the people of Osun State.”

According to him, “about ten years ago, I contacted the Israeli Ambassador in Nigeria then on what could be done in this state to achieve what the State of Israel had achieved in creating a solid class of highly skilled middle-level technicians. He gave me a wide range of options, a key one in the options was a reconstruction, equipping and staffing of our technical colleges to train school leavers and graduates who desire to have marketable skills.”

“We decided to go for the projects in all the nine technical colleges in the state and civil work was commenced. We put the projects in the 2010 budget and the funding was about 20 per cent of the N18.3billion loan we took from the UBA that year. We paid the contractors for civil works and some of the equipment which were delivered during and after we left office.”

“Three years ago, I was here with Governor Aregbesola to show him the equipment locked up here. He expressed his shock at what we had here which he said the bureaucracy did not bring to his notice. He there and then announced his resolve to complete this project before he leaves office. I congratulate him for keeping to his pledge as an Omoluabi. What we are seeing here today is the result of a resolve to ensure continuity from a government to another.”

“I urge the incoming governor to emulate the spirit of service of Ogbeni Aregbesola by completing all his uncompleted projects. It is my prayer that the vision and objectives of using this project to calibrate the economy of this state and kit its army of unemployed youths would be attained,” Oyinlola remarked.

Dignitaries at the event include Chief (Mrs) Tola Oyediran, private secretary to Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Mr Odia Ofiemu, the Orangun of Oke-Ila Orangun, Oba Adedokun Abolarin, Commissioners in Aregbesola’s cabinet, the management of Skill G construction firm, among others.