Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state has been nominated for an outstanding award for his extraordinary leadership role in promoting infrastructure, education and other achievements recorded by his administration.
This was disclosed on Tuesday in Akure, Ondo state capital by the Coordinator of Pan African, non-political and pro-democracy organisations, African Governor Award for Innovative Leadership, (AGAFIL) Mr.Henry Oluseye Adesola during a press conference.
Adesola said the group was convinced by various developmental and infrastructural programmes and projects ongoing in Ondo State, saying Akeredolu has fulfilled his promises and mandate of the people of the state.
He said the decision to bestow Akeredolu with the honour was arrived at after over six months of monitoring activities of his administration by the group in partnership with other civil society partners including Africa Leadership Advocacy Network(ALAN) and Women of Virtue Society (WOVIS).
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He said: “Our findings and studies revealed that the Akeredolu administration in Ondo State has justified its promises and the mandate of the people.
“The government has devised far-reaching initiative, vision and innovation to bring succour and respite to the people. In the face of dwindling resources, the government has kept faith with her workers by not only regularly paying salaries, but paying outstanding arrears.
“Its massive renovation and reconstruction of schools across the state with the provision of basic modern school amenities and perimeter fences for the security of school children have not only rescued several children from the verge of illiteracy and hopelessness, it has significantly changed school enrollments, brought sanity to the state and promised to restore the states lost glory in education, while leading the way to future African place in the global knowledge economy.
“In much the same way, the state is undergoing gargantuan infrastructure development unprecedented in history”
He noted that Akeredolu has also touched other areas which included agriculture, health, women and youth empowerment and the ongoing industrial revolution in the state, saying the governor is bent on making the state new through his innovative re-engineering of political leadership.
According to him, “from the data obtained from contemporary African leaders for the award in 2019 and the peculiar circumstance of the state when Governor Akeredolu took over in 2017, he is overwhelmingly rated the Most Innovative Governor on the continent in the year under review”.
He, however, said Akeredolu would be honoured with the award in Abuja as part of activities to mark the nation’s 20th Anniversary of Fourth Republic Lecture,