Dr. Victor Koledoye is the acting chairman of the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC). He speaks to ABIODUN AWOLAJA on the achievements and challenges of the agency in the mandate areas.
WHAT has OSOPADEC done in recent years to impact the lives of the people of the mandate areas positively?
First, as civil servants, what we are there for is basically to provide support for the political class. Definitely, there are a number of projects that were inherited by this administration and there are new projects that were commenced just after the last board left. For example, we have the Aboto/Atijere road that was awarded by the last board. The project is ongoing and is designed to lead to Lagos. Shortly before the board left, there was this asphalt overlay from Igbokada down to Araromi. One of the reasons we are a bit concerned about rehabilitating that road is that we are thinking of linking Ilaje side to Lekki and it is going to be very strategic and economical for the state.
We are trying to embark on a number of skill acquisition programmes for the youth in our area. Currently, we are planning to do skills acquisition on solar power engineering. The interesting thing about this is that already, jobs have been provided and they only need to have the skills. At the end of this training, almost all of them are going to be gainfully employed. It is going to be an entrepreneurship training; they are going to have skills training in solar power engineering and at the end of the training, they are going to be gainfully employed.
We also have other aspects that we are interested in, and that includes mini-grid electricity. We are trying to collaborate with public utilities. A number of our communities do not have electricity. They cannot be connected to the national grid because they do not have a line that can connect them to the grid. So, we are trying to leverage on this mini-grid to provide electricity. Basically, it is going to be financed by the World Bank and some private sector players.
When you have a poor environment for learning, you are not likely to have qualitative education and that is going to have an impact on the economy. So, we want to improve the infrastructure in our schools so as to provide quality education, which is part of the Millenium Development Goals. Well, Ondo State now has a renewed agenda which the Millenium Development Goals are leveraged upon. In the recent employment we did, we deployed quite a number of people as teachers in schools to augment what SUBEB and the Teaching Service Commission (TESCON) have been doing in our area. Because up till now, there are lots of deficits in terms of number of teachers, especially the ratio of teachers to students.
I am sure it is one of the worst in Ondo State. We are trying to see how to strengthen the teaching personnel both in the primary and secondary schools and likewise the health facility in our area.
More importantly, we are also thinking of doing a strategic plan which is going to contain both the medium and long-term plan for a sustainable development growth in that region so that we can utilise resources in a more efficient manner. The commission is trying to look into our operational issues. Recently, we took delivery of operational vehicles and we want to appreciate Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu for that. The previous commission during the administration of Dr. Olusegun Agagu got some vehicles but most of those vehicles were basically grounded and we could not access most of our areas, and our field operations were seriously hindered due to that. But thanks to the magnanimity of Arakunrin Akeredolu, who approved the refurbishment of most of the vehicles, they are refurbished and they are on the roads right now.
What has OSOPADEC done In terms of community development projects?
I think on that level, I will give the commission a pass mark. The challenges in the mandate areas is enormous infrastructure-wise, and social economic wise. If you look at what resources have come to the state from oil and look at what has been derived in terms of development, definitely, there is a wide gap. If you look at what that gap is and what will be needed to close that gap, it is definitely enormous in terms of resources. So the little that comes should be very constant and we also need to have a strategic plan on how best to use the little resources to make a difference in the lives of the people.
The governor has been working hard on the issue of sea port, free trade zone and other beautiful plans. I see them as long-term plans. We should also think of short-term intervention plans for the people of mandate areas. But honestly, we must commend this administration for the focus and determination to impact the economic base of the state.
Interestingly, we have the inland water ways that is somehow abandoned for a long time. They are linked to the Atlantic, but weeds have over the years overgrown them and most of them need dredging. I still believe that if we have a focus on that, it can even be leveraged upon to promote the sea port.
What has been the biggest challenge of OSOPADEC in recent years ?
If you have an area where socio-economic activity is low, where you are having high rate of unemployment of the youth, the tendency is that the rate of crime will be high. There was a war between the Ilajes and Ijaws, and typically after every war too, there will be increment in arms around the zone. The militarization of people around that area, and the fact that the Niger Delta area was at one stage on the issue of resource control. There also the issue of degradation of the environment and the people have to take arms for these reasons. I have interacted with those guys with genuine concerns. If those things that led to struggles are still there, you are still providing excuses for criminals to take up arms.What can wipe those challenges away is if we can improve the socio-economic indices of that environment; improve infrastructures. Of course, we are going to do a lot of stakeholders’ engagements in terms of demilitarization of the people, education of the youths and skill acquisition programs. I have a feeling that the moment we put them in place and they are constant, all those ugly traits will disappear.
What is your relationship with the Ondo State government like?
OSOPADEC is the arm of the government. It is one of the parastatals of the government. So, about OSOPADEC creating good relationship or not, I don’t see it as an issue. The issue is how best have we manage it, use it as an instrument to project the image of the government as best it can. As a Commission, we have our loyalty to the government. We advise the government because we are the one on the scene. We advise government on what we think are the perceptions of the people. Little resources are there, you need to make your case. You need to lobby and those are parts of instruments of operation of government. When resources get a bit dwindling, you need to activate that more so as to call attention of the leadership to many areas.
What are you words for the mandate areas ?
Well, my biggest word will be to the youths, every country that is economically competitive are basically private sectors driven, and no private sector will want to invest in a country where there is insecurity. My appeal goes the youths, we need to create environment to attract investors. Again, the most prosperous cities in the world are close to the sea, like Alaska, New York classical and Singapore are classical examples. The potential of the south is not even oil, the potential of the south is in our waters. The fact that we are close to the sea is also a fact that we are close Lagos. The oil, to me is a distraction. If we can open up our water ways and we have sea port, and create an environment that is conducive and attractive for investors, the issue of unemployment will be a thing of the past. We need to lure government to invest more on non-oil and stop militarization. Oil is our weakness, is not our strength. Let us leverage on the natural thing.
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