Ondo 2020: Seaport project is enough to re-elect Akeredolu ― Tunji-Ojo

Hon Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo

The lawmaker representing Akoko Northeast/Northwest Federal constituency of Ondo state, Hon Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has urged the people of the state to ensure the re-election of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, to fast-track transformation of the state especially in the take-off of the seaport in the state.

Tunji-Ojo who stated this in Akure, Ondo state capital, while speaking with newsmen, said the re-election of Akeredolu would secure a brighter future for the generation yet unborn in the state.

The lawmaker noted that the present administration in the state has touched every sector, saying the people of the northern senatorial district would not forget the efforts of the Akeredolu’s administration in hurry following the construction of Oke Alabojuto and ongoing dualization of Ikare-Akoko township road.

He explained that October 10, 2020, governorship election is not about Akeredolu’s re-election but laying an economic foundation for the state saying Akeredolu should be allowed to consolidate on the life-impacting projects he has started.

He said Akeredolu has written his name in gold and posterity shall be kind to him, saying the governor like the late Yoruba sage, Obafemi Awolowo, would soon turn around the state positively if those after him tow his path on investment promotion and development.

He described Akeredolu as a man of many parts and someone who is committed to rewriting the narratives of the state from a civil service state to a haven of industrialisation with the commencement of the construction of the largest seaport in West Africa.

He said the seaport project if completed will reposition Ondo state and said the deep seaport project is a major priority of the present administration.

According to him, the project can singularly turn around the fortune of not just the state, but the country, if dutifully executed and said “our freedom from economic stagnation, youth unemployment and extreme poverty is nearer with the construction of what may be the largest deep seaport in West Africa sub-region.

“I want to say again with all sense of responsibility that the major priority of this government is the Ondo port and bitumen exploration.
We know the importance of this seaport to the economy of this state and the nation of Nigeria in general.

“I urge you to vote for continuity. Only continuity of this administration can bring the actualization of the port Ondo into reality.

Tunji-Ojo urged the people of the state to remain resolute and stay with the APC government to actualise the seaport project which is capable of turning the state to another Lagos in terms of revenue generation.

Tunji-Ojo who expressed deep concern over dwindling monthly allocation from the federation account to state governments, however, expressed optimism that the seaport would make the state government to generate enough funds to meet its obligations including payment of salary.

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He commended Governor Akeredolu for his unprecedented achievements especially in the area of infrastructural development.

The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on NDDC, said Akeredolu had done well in putting the state on the path to sustainable development, as all problems could not be solved overnight.

Tunji-Ojo also explained that before the Akeredolu-led administration came on board, there were some basic problems in the Southern Senatorial district of the state, most of which have been resolved as a result of the commitment and drive of the incumbent Governor of Ondo State.

He added that the Ondo State-owned Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, (OSUSTECH), Okitipupa, was neglected before the assumption of the Akeredolu’s administration, but the governor had turned the institution’s fortune around.

The Lawmaker said the Southern Senatorial district of the state had huge security challenge before the inception of the present Government noting that such had been resolved through the Amnesty programme at the State level.

Hon Tunji-Ojo also enjoined the people of Ondo State to ensure the continuity of the Akeredolu led administration in the State as it is capable of taking the state to a higher level.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE