Ondo Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant and coordinator of the state’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP), Nekan Olateru-Olagbegi, speaks with Special Correspondent, BALOGUN DADA, in Akure on his ambition and activities of his agency.
Angling for Ondo governorship
One thing is clear. For you to be alive as a human being, and be political, is part of being consciously active because politics is a phenomenon that has to do with human survival. And to achieve my aims and objectives, I need to be active because being docile will not be sufficient for me to positively affect my people; hence, I need to be active in politicking. At the time I took the decision, what informed my coming out to contest was because one was positioned and politically relevant.
Agenda for Ondo if elected
Well, the biggest asset that I will get as a successor of Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, if given the opportunity, is the fact that he has already laid the foundation. The urban development mantra of the state is already in place. Even with the paucity of funds, it is not too much of a difficult task. We only have to be creative and get innovative, knowing well that God has blessed us in Ondo State in terms of human and natural resources, and if we just look inwards and use what we have, I am sure that the sky is our limit.
In the area of forestry alone, where I live in Atlanta Georgia, there is one corporation that deals in forest products. It has been able to do paper, pulp, paints, construct roofing sheets and furniture just from forestry. These are the features I will be bringing to Ondo. In IT (information technology), there are enormous outsourcing opportunities for our youth.
There are more we can still add to the giant strides of Mimiko in education and health, so that we can brand Ondo as a one-stop destination for sound and competitive education, quality and reliable healthcare environment for all even beyond Nigeria, and we shall raise revenue for the government, especially from non-indigenes which we can track very conveniently with our exceptional Kaadi Igbe Ayo.
Tough election for PDP in Ondo
During the Olusegun Agagu era, when the PDP was in government, we had federal might. Then, Labour Party (LP) was like an orphan; yet, people rallied round to vote for us. I know that people of Ondo will always vote for quality. We are enlightened people. An average Ondo person knows what he wants. Therefore, if anybody thinks that federal might would influence anything in Ondo, such a person should forget about that idea.
PPP in Ondo
Working as the coordinator of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) for just a little over two years now, we have brought to reality the Akure Mall. This, we were able to broker for the state, and developers were able to deliver within cost and time. I am glad that a lot of people are enjoying the facility and it is changing the landscape of Akure. Even the night life of Akure, its entertainment life, is gradually changing. But that is about one of the smallest of the things we have achieved in the PPP.
Now we have landed a deep seaport, Ilaje Deep Sea Port, which, once finalised with the federal government procedures, would be a hub for the entire West African coast. It is getting towards final approval, and the promoters are ready to raise the funds for development. It is also tagged the mining port. It is a solution-port for the mining industry of Nigeria. These are well thought out innovative ways that we have managed to solve the Nigerian mining problems. We have looked at the fact that we have so many ports in Nigeria. But in Ondo, we always try to make a statement with whatever we put our hands and time in. We don’t want to develop just a seaport; we want to change the lives of our people.
We are constructing a railroad from Ilaje all the way to the northern fringes of Ondo, to Kogi area. We are also dualising a road from Ore to Ilaje. Definitely, it would open the entire Ondo Southern Senatorial District.
We have been able to get a licence for a Free Trade Zone (FTZ). So, now, other than Olokola FTZ, we have our own exclusive Ondo State FTZ, which is in Ilaje. That port is well-positioned for maritime activities.
We have a good number of refinery proposals and by the time the FTZ finally kicks off, it will be a super busy FTZ. Apart from that, we have the second largest deposit of bitumen in the world. We could not take advantage of that, due to the fact that the licence we had for it was cancelled during the administration of the late Governor Adebayo Adefarati. But with the hard work of Mimiko and with our directorate now, we have been able to get four licences today to explore our bitumen.
Another thing is the Ifon Ceramic Industry which has been moribund for over 24 years. We have brought in expertise and we shall be coming out with tiles and other ceramic products with the PPP arrangements.
PPP and waste management in Ondo
There is now going to be an integrated waste management system. When it starts, it will come with very unique features. It has an electronic waste management system. You can imagine that West Africa is more or less like an electronic dumping site for computers and electronics. When we leave some of these things in the dump sites, and the chemicals inside get into the water level, it would cause a lot of damage or it will even contaminate the water level. So, we are thinking ahead; we need to create a waste management for electronic wastes.
We would do recycling of the electronic wastes. We will also contain and dispose of them.
We also have the chocolate factory in Idanre where we can now use our cocoa beans instead of exporting everything. More than that, we have developed cocoa agriculture in Ondo that a farmer can now sell to exporters without passing through middlemen. With these, they would have more profit and better motivations. All these under two years in office.
Endorsement by youths under the aegis of Sunshine Youth Forum, to succeed Mimiko
I appreciate the youth for their observations and being lively to their environment. I am also happy that my work also speaks for me – working day and night to make sure that we industrialise Ondo. Working closely with Mr. Governor to make sure that we bring many industries here is for no other reasons but for the youths because when Ondo is able to do that, we will be able to create more employment for our teaming youth. If that was what informed their endorsement of me, they also need to be appreciated for their depth and intuitiveness. This is because the next level in Ondo is the industrialisation of the state and my work in the last two years and going forward is strategic to that.
If they have tipped me also due to my impeccable character and unblemished personality, they have also thought it right. Righteousness, they say, exalts a nation.
