Eight months after he left office, after directing the affairs of the pacesetter state for eight years, Abiola Ajimobi, the immediate-past governor of Oyo State, has continually revealed that he did not regret any action he took while in office as all his activities were governed by his convictions to make life better for his people and leave his footprints on the sand of time.
He is not afraid of criticisms and at 70 he is unwilling to change his belief to suit the popular narrative. Indeed, he is confident that he made a mark while in office as he has at different forum, declared that his achievements during his eight-year tenure in office were unprecedented as they surpassed the achievements of other governors who had ruled the state.
He holds the belief that his administration would remain in the annals of history as one that is unbeatable for many years to come because of his remarkable achievements in various sectors especially road, peace and security, infrastructure, education and health. He laid particular emphasis on roads as well as peace and security because these, he stated, have been elusive in the state before he assumed office.
The former governor believes that the sustainable peace and security enjoyed by residents of the state since he took over the mantle of leadership, and for the duration of his stay and beyond, were resultant effects of the several initiatives evolved by his administration, adding that, “I make bold to say that if peace is the only achievement people will remember this administration for, I am happy for it.”
Ajimobi, who said he had done his best, had also expressed the hope that the present administration would live up to the challenge of raising the bar of governance from where he left it by consolidating on his giant strides. His touch cuts across various sectors and there have been various testimonials that the situation of things in the state changed positively when he became the governor of the state and introduced new ways of doing things.
But despite his achievements, Ajimobi can be described as a man that many love to hate. The reason for this is not far fetched; many complain that he is not diplomatic, that he is rude and too blunt for a politician. Indeed, the main issue people have against him is not his convictions but what they call his sharp tongue and stinging words that they think should be controlled.
But whether he is loved or otherwise, there are some things that cannot be taken away from him; in issues of security, he inherited a state filled with all forms of vices violence, chaos, brigandage, mayhem, killings and arson, among others but left a state that is relatively peaceful through the activities of Operation Burst a joint task force with seven zonal commands in Ibadan, the headquarters, Oyo, Iseyin, Kishi, Ogbomosho, Saki and Eruwa, the Security Trust Fund, Oyo State Inter Religious/Inter Ethnic Committee and provision of armoured personnel carriers (APC), patrol vehicles, communication equipment which led to a reduction in crime rate, civil unrest and a commendation from Economic Renaissance – NBS rating which placed the state as one of the top five Investment Friendly States in Nigeria.
On physical infrastructure, his administration focused on roads because the state suffered from cheap quality and poor network of roads which he countered with obvious results in the Transformation Flyover at Mokola, better quality and improved network of roads at areas like Challenge, Aleshinloye, Dugbe, Magazine, Eleyele, dualisation of entry roads into six major cities totaling 35.6km; construction of 183 roads and seven bridges totaling about 590 km; road repairs; rehabilitation and maintenance of about 850km, Ibadan Circular Roads; Ologun Eru, Eruwa, Gate, Old Ife Alakia, Bashorun, Akobo; Oke Adu; Iwo Road
The restoration and sustenance of peace, security and safety of lives and property within the state, which led to reduction in crime and criminality, led to unprecedented growth in the hospitality and tourism industry with a renaissance of the state’s night economy by 321 per cent and increase in Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) in the state under Ajimobi’s watch and the state was ranked the fifth most peaceful state in the country by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in 2018.
The establishment of the first Security Trust Fund called the Oyo State Security Trust Fund (OYSSTF), a pioneering initiative for the promotion of Public Private Partnership on funding security in the state ensured efficient and effective funding of security operations and services with technology assisted high level monitoring, crime prevention, swift response, resulting in reduction of civil unrest and effectiveness of the security agencies.
Improved road safety, vehicular accessibility and enhanced commercial activities in all the geopolitical zones from about 7.8 per cent penetration to about 65 per cent as well as enhanced modernisation and urbanisation programme resulting in reduction in road accidents due to better conditions of roads.
In a bid to improve accessibility and affordability of the citizenry to quality mass transportation, the Ajimobi administration provided 100 units of 63-seater mass transit buses at subsidized fares. It is noteworthy and commendable that the present administration is sustaining the momentum of the legacies left behind by Ajimobi’s administration.
Speaking on Ajimobi’s legacies, the immediate past Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism in Oyo State, Toye Arulogun said; “The history of modern Oyo State cannot be written without the name of Governor Ajimobi in gold. Not just because he is the first and only governor whom the people gave a second term mandate but because he is the architect, builder and father of modern Oyo State, achieving many firsts in the course of his stewardship, characterised by intellectual politics and governance in the state. “His policies and activities birthed a new Oyo State, especially in the core governance areas of security, physical infrastructure, visionary and principle centred leadership, civil and public service reforms, education, to mention a few.
“In my well considered opinion, no matter what the current situation is, celebrating Governor Ajimobi at 70 years is celebrating a new Oyo State. History and posterity will give him a premium place, in spite of all. Modern day development in Oyo State, post-Ajimobi, can only build on his foundation for you cannot build a superstructure on a weak foundation.”
Ajimobi is an administrator that took calculated risks to pursue his convictions without any form of surrender to fear and intimidation. He refused to allow general opinion sway him from pursuing his ideas and imagination for a modern state. And today, whether he is loved or not by some, his passion, insights and commitment to what he believes have served as the bedrock of a legacy that cannot be eroded.
and then