Akinmade who stated this after the conferment of merit award on him by Alade-Idanre community in Idanre Local Government area of the state warned the Rotimi Akeredolu’s led government against jettisoning the people-oriented programme and policy.
He urged the present government in the state not hide under the guise of economic recession to deny the citizens of dividends of democracy and put the people under any hardship.
He listed some of the programmes put in place by Mimiko to include the free education, free shuttle buses for school children, free maternal health care for pregnant women, annual Mare Festival and Mega School concept among others.
According to him, the government is a social contract between it and the people saying it is the responsibility of those elected to take care of the needs of those that put them in offices.
Akinmade said “I want to advise this government not to obliterate the legacies bequeathed to it by the previous administration.
“Government is about service, the government doesn’t save money for itself. When you have little resources, you must ensure you distribute the little resources so that every sector will feel government’s presence.
“One of the ways this community benefits from the government is through Mare Festival, this festival attracts many tourists to Idanre and during that time, over 3,000 people visit Idanre regularly to be part of the celebration. This also generates informal funds for the people.”
Speaking of the free education, the former information commissioner noted that the present administration in the state has not put in place any policy to warrant scraping of the free education in the state.
He stated that policy has always been part and parcel of the Western Region for years saying most of the people in the helm of affairs now benefited from the free education of the region.
His words: “Let me tell you that the free education we are talking about, the North still enjoys it. From primary to university is free. The state governments in the North give scholarship to the university students.
“Education is the only thing that can liberate the people. The government must have responsibilities. The private sector is taking over but what is the responsibility.
“The revenue which the state government receives from the federation account is not only for civil servants, it is to provide infrastructure and to create a form of equilibrium for the children of the less privileged.
“Many of us would have been a farmer if we have not had education. In order word, the recommendation should not be implemented. Scrapping free education will send the wrong signal to the outside world that we are not serious about education.”
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