MISSION
My mission is to run for the seat of
Governor in Ondo State for the 2013-2017 tenure under the banner of the Action
Congress of Nigeria (ACN).
I will bring to bear on the position
of the Governor of Ondo State the technical and administrative competence,
credibility and compassion I have acquired in public service over
36 years as well as my political experience of steadfastness, loyalty and strength
of character over the same period. This will bring a change in the way
public officers serve; it will lead to genuine creation of common wealth and
empowerment in Ondo State. Also, I will collaborate to integrate Ondo State
socio-economically with the rest of the sub region for industrial
transformation and sustainable development in Ondo State and Yorubaland.
TRACK RECORD
Contributions to ACN
I have worked vigorously to build
Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) since I joined the party in January 2011. My
robust contributions stand out significantly and conspicuously on two occasions
at two periods in the life of ACN in Ondo State when the party was in a depressed
state.
Firstly, in January 2011, I
spearheaded a fresh drive to rejuvenate the party and to give it a quantum leap
from a behind position to the forefront in Ondo State. My contributions to a
new life for ACN in Ondo State went far beyond the North Senatorial District
where I established fully staffed six LG offices, each provided with branded
15-seater bus, three motorcycles as well as 80 chairs, 10 tables, one large TV,
DSTV decoder, generating set and various games in addition to 30 coordinators
and 380 canvassers.
Second occasion was in May 2011,
after another depression caused by the results of the April 2011 elections
which were literarily hijacked by the incumbent Government. As early as the
first week of May 2011, barely two weeks after election results engineered by
the incumbent Governor to devastate ACN, I started a formidable Wind of
Change campaign throughout the State to rekindle the ACN flame and to
preach that Ondo State is Next. This was accomplished with road-shows
with a team of 24 people including notable ACN leaders, women and youth
leaders, one traditional ruler and religious leaders. This drive was so
vigorous and committed that by August 2011, we had covered all the 203 Wards,
visited 76 Palaces and met 235 leaders all over Ondo State propagating Wind
of Change and raising the flag of ACN. We also used door to door
meetings, radio, Television and newsprint programmes as well as internet based
social networks to campaign for ACN development. Above all, we have established
a very strong and firmly rooted people driven network tagged Omoluabi
Platform in all 18 LGs of Ondo State to consolidate our reach and to promote
the qualities, mission and benefits of Action Congress of Nigeria.
Our contributions to a stronger ACN
in Ondo State have been in four Phases. Phase I covered the period, May to
August 2011 with a central advocacy theme tagged Wind of Change to bring
people to ACN. Phase II of our contributions covered the period, September to
December 2011 with motivation to sell Omoluabi values with a theme on The
Rallying Point for Hope and emphasis on The Change we can Trust.
The thrust of our Phase III campaign which covered the period, January to April
2012 has been with a focus on Consolidation and Outreach. In all
of these phases, a formidable and strong social network of Omoluabi Platform within
the Action Congress of Nigeria with some 157,000 registered members has been
established throughout the State. We have also facilitated several harvests of thousands
of new members across the State decamping into ACN from Labour Party, PDP and
other political parties and groups. The Phase IV of our campaign has been set
to describe the emergence of Omoluabi Platforms outside Ondo State wherein
people outside of Ondo State with little or no reference to us have established
Omoluabi forums to engender support for ACN and our mission in Ondo State. So
far, there has been Omoluabi Platforms in Ibadan, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja,
London, Connecticut, Atlanta and Washington.
In summary, we are on firmly ground and
ready to effect power shift in Ondo State.
Antecedents
My antecedents in Public Service
eloquently speak for my capacity and capability to deliver credible
services. That I achieved 36 years of meritorious public service
without blemish is an attestation to my impeccable character and credibility
as well as compassion for truth, equitable standards and
justice. My public service experience is briefly
summarised below:
a. Lecturer at the Department of Physics, University of Ibadan, 1974-1983
b. Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of the Federal Road Safety Commission;
1988 -1994
c. Special Assistant to the Chief Bola Ige, SAN, as Honourable Minister of
Power and Steel, and later as Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and
Minister of Justice, 1999- 2001
d.
Honourable Minister of State for Defence (Navy) of the Federal Republic,
2002
e.
Honourable Minister of Power and Steel, 2002- 2003
f.
Executive Vice Chairman of National eGovernment Strategies, 2004 - to
date
g.
Others high powered political positions held recently are:
i. In 2000, member of the Constitution Review Committee.
ii. In 2004 to 2007, member of the Governing Board of the Federal Capital
Territory (FCT).
iii. In 2009, Chairman of the ICT Thematic Area of the National Technical
Working Committee for National Vision 20-2020
Contributions
to Road Safety
I was the pioneer Corps
Marshal of FRSC for seven years: (1988 to 1994) during which I carried out:
a) Massive employment of youth
b) Standardised single card National Driver's
Licence,
c) National Motor Vehicle Administration,
d) Uniform Plate Number System,
e) Revised Highway Code System.
Under my management, the
issues of safety on the road and discipline of road safety officers were major
priorities and the FRSC was one of the most disciplined Government agency in
Nigeria.
Contributions
to eGovernment
Between 2004 and 2010, I
made systematic contributions to the development and implementation of
eGovernment programmes in Nigeria towards:
- Bringing Government services closer to the people.
- Making Government service delivery more efficient, transparent, accountable and responsive.
- Making Government citizen-centred.
Personal
Contributions to the Community
This is a highlight of my
personal contributions to Community development:
a. Various
scholarships since 1976 to date to various students at the secondary
schools, colleges of Education, Polytechnics and Universities
b. Supply
of Exercise Books for primary school children since 1995
c. Supply
of water to the community for 12 years
d. Rehabilitation
of Assembly Hall and Teachers block at the Victory College Ikare in 1996 e. Erection
of science building at Comprehensive College, Erusu in 1998
f. Payment
of WAEC, NECO and JAMB fees to numerous pupils since 1995
g Facilitating
massive youth employment at every stage of my life in public service
h. Donations
of several bundles of roofing sheets to victims of windstorms 8 times
between 1992 and 2010
i. Various
contributions to development of schools programmes in rural areas
including sports and athletics programmes
g. Various
contributions to church and mosque programmes and activities
h. Payment
of monthly allowances to teachers and NYSC Youth Corps members working in
a Community School
i. Provision
of free Accommodation for teachers and students in a community school
Political Experience
My political experience has spanned
33 years including the last 18 years of active participation. I have waded
through various terrains at the national and state levels in the past and
gathered significant experience and expertise that have truly prepared me for
political tasks ahead. For instance:
a. I was
an active member of the UPN from 1979.
b. In
1979, I presented on NTA Network, a computerised analysis against the 12⅔
formula within 48 hours of its announcement.
c. In June
1983, I made a computer assisted forecast of the 1983 Presidential election
which was published in the Punch Newspapers and which earned me an invitation
to meet with Chief Obafemi Awolowo in Abeokuta and a subsequent dinner with the
sage in his home at Ikene a few months later.
d. In
August 1983, I set up the first Digital Collation Centre in Nigeria for
the Presidential elections at Akure. This saved Chief Obafemi Awolowo a total
of 105,000 votes at the National elections. The then Governors of Ondo (Chief
Adekunle Ajasin) and of Oyo State (Chief Bola Ige) publicly commended me and
invited me back to set similar centres for the Gubernatorial elections in Oyo
and Ondo States.
e. In
August 1983, I set up the Digital Collation Centre for the Gubernatorial
elections in Oyo and Ondo States respectively in Ibadan and Akure. These
elaborate efforts decisively showed that the results of elections were rigged
in the two States. In Ondo State, these efforts helped regain the stolen
mandate of our Papa, Chief Adekunle Ajasin who personally acknowledged this in
“Ajasin Memoirs and Memories”, pg 379.
f. In
1993, I waded through the entire Constitutional Conference to stop the Assembly
from scrapping the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) even after its Special
Committee recommended the scrapping of the Commission.
g. In 1998,
I was a foundation member of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and played active
roles in Ondo State politics.
h. In
November 1998, I presented myself for the Gubernatorial contest in Ondo State
under the banner of Alliance for Democracy. Akoko Obas and elders led by the
then Asiwaju of Akokoland, Chief Rufus Giwa persuaded me to step down for Chief
Adebayo Adefarati for harmony in the land. I graciously complied.
i. In
January 1999, I presented myself for the Senatorial primaries for the Senate
Seat for Ondo North Senatorial District under the banner of Alliance for
Democracy but lost to Senator Ayo Lawrence (from Owo) at the Primaries because
of the zoning formula devised to facilitate the governorship of Chief Adefarati
(Akoko South).
j. In
2000, I served as a member of the Constitutional Review Committee which interacted very successfully with the legislators and the executive Arm
of Government and produced a Draft Revised Constitution for Nigeria.
k. In
2001, along with a few others, I successfully lobbied the National Assembly to
save the then President Olusegun Obasanjo from imminent impeachment.
l. In
2003, I made an incursion into the PDP, the ruling party in Nigeria to join the
mainstream of politics in Nigeria with the belief that this was the best for
Yorubaland. However, this turned out to be a miscalculation..
m. In 2007, I teamed with a few others in the minority of
Ondo State politics to establish a totally unknown party – the Labour Party -
to oust the ruling party, PDP in Ondo State.
n. In
2008, I interacted with the hierarchy of the National Assembly on electronic driven
Parliamentary Administration (e-Parliament) and Capacity Building for
eGovernment and viable implementation programmes.
o. In
2009, I served as the Chairman of the ICT Thematic Area of the National
Technical Working Committee for National Vision 20-2020.
p. In
2009, I set up an expansive campaign for the Northern Senatorial seat in Ondo
State under the Labour Party but lost out on 6th January 2011 to
internal machinations fore-planned by Governor Mimiko only 5 days to the
scheduled Primaries of the Labour Party.
q. In
2011, I joined the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and teamed up with others
to begin, in earnest, the process of rebuilding the party and to present myself
for the Governorship ticket of the party.
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