Ondo State Commissioner for Information, KAYODE AKINMADE, speaks with Special Correspondent, JULIUS ALABI in Akure, on Governor Olusegun Mimiko’s approach to governance, describing it as pragmatic, hence his party, Labour Party (LP), has come to stay in the state.
Mimiko’s approach to governance
His approach is pragmatic and scientific. He is methodological in his handling of governance and implementation of government policies. That is why he has been able to carry everybody in the state along, and we can all see the results. The people have been very generous with their support for the Mimiko government because they can understand the direction of the government. They share the vision and also believe in him as a credible and sincere leader. He had been with them for a while before he became governor; they knew his pedigree and that was the reason they supported him to reclaim his mandate when he was robbed of it initially.
People Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) threatening to take over the state from LP in 2015
The LP has come to stay in Ondo. Only a trusted leader could get the kind of support he (Mimiko) also got to return to office for second term. Don’t forget, most people believe it was impossible for any governor to get a second term mandate in Ondo, but the people made it happen because of their trust and belief in Mr. Governor.
Government’s intervention in the agriculture sector
When Mimiko assumed office, he discovered that the agriculture sector was not what it ought to be, and set out immediately to implement the programmes he had to revolutionise the sector. So, in no time, he was able to make appreciable impact on the sector. Initial 18 Mobile Farm Service Centres were provided across the state to attend to the immediate needs of established farmers in the state. Soon after, the government introduced a farm produce buy-back programme through which N25 million was provided for the buy-back of excess produce from farmers. The government procured 12 tractors with disc plough, burrow, ridger and tipping trailer, and established agricultural villages to encourage fresh graduates to go into farming. The Agricultural Village initiative gave birth to the Agricultural Village in Ore, Odigbo Local Government Area, in December 2010, being one of the three integrated villages established in the state for crop farming, animal husbandry, mushroom farming and oil palm revolution.
In March 2011, the Ore Caring Heart Agricultural Village took off with 1,500 graduate resident farmers. Other areas of intervention by the government in the agriculture sector include the disbursement of N32.8 million loan to farmers across six local government areas, the establishment of Farmers Field School and training of 720 farmers, production of fingerlings, fish seed production and pond construction for 200 fish farmers, distribution of one million cocoa seedlings, 90,244 oil palm and 5,000 coconut seedlings to farmers, procurement of N3 million veterinary drugs and the payment of N60 million counterpart fund.
The government also introduced Inputs Revolving Fund of N241 million to provide unhindered fund flow for the purchase of inputs as soon as they reach re-order level. Government also increased the level of subsidy on farm inputs including fertiliser from 25 per cent to 30 per cent and 50 per cent on cutlasses and files which are considered as universal inputs, even as speedboats were procured for Ilaje and Ese-Odo riverine areas for community development. Government also did the renovation of buildings and constructed the perimeter fence of the Ondo State Government/Leventis Foundation Agricultural Training School, Ido-Ani, replenished the depleted forest reserves by planting 420 hectares of teak and indigenous species of trees in Owo, Akure and Oluwa Forest reserves in the north, central and southern senatorial districts, with about N35.3 million released for raising ornamental and fruit tree seedlings as well as the release of N59 million for fire tracking, conservation planning, demarcation of core area and patrol at Ose River Park.
Progress in education sector
Yes, the efforts of Mr. Governor have yielded bountifully to the extent that the state’s laudable programmes have become a benchmark for Africa. The governor accorded the sector priority in his 12-point programme tagged ‘Caring Heart’. The aim was to reposition the education sector and restore its lost glory. This led to investing in physical infrastructure in schools all over the state, with the realisation that the environment in which learning takes place has an overwhelming effect on the learning process. The structures in public primary and secondary schools inherited by the administration could not guarantee the desired standard of education, as they were in a state of total disrepair. The walls in several schools had given way, while many of the schools had had their roofs blown off.
This made the intervention of government in infrastructure in the schools necessary. The challenge was approached from two ways. The first was the building of model schools tagged ‘Caring Heart Mega Primary Schools’, while the other is massive renovation of existing schools. The idea of the mega schools was to make available a world-class facility with state-of-the-art instructional materials. The Mega School innovation is second to none. But beyond the mega schools, government procured N60 million science and mathematics equipment for schools, in addition to robust incentive package for teachers. Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, was repositioned with improved funding.
Emphasis on community development
When the governor assumed office, he perceived a disconnect between government and the people. The three ‘i’s programme was to bridge this disconnect, so that government can crystallise the environment that engenders development. The LP, which he represents, is a social democratic platform. In the ideological spectrum, it belongs to the left. We believe that government has a responsibility to the people. We believe that government has to make the private sector thrive, so that profit can motivate the people to grow the economy. We also believe that government has the responsibility to ensure that equitable opportunity is given to people in the society in a manner that they are carried along in the development process.
Using the philosophy of the 3Is, the Ministry of Community Development and Cooperative Services ensures that every nook and cranny of the state feels the impact of government through the execution of self-selected projects. It is no wonder then that the people have come to trust this government.
Therefore, since the projects executed are dictated by the people themselves, within the overall design of the state government to make the state a model for Africa, the disconnect between government and the people is eliminated, while cases of sabotage arising from dissatisfaction with executed projects are largely non-existent.
The programme rests on a tripod, with phase one focusing on getting preliminary information through baseline survey of all communities in each local government area in the state, consultations and engagements with key stakeholders, developing community needs assessments and community development plans and implementing confidence building projects within the communities. Phase two focuses on establishing holistic community institutions from within the rural communities to build the capacity of community members and existing community institutions, while phase three is concerned with developing a longer term development strategy for a period of four to eight years or more.