Why Ondo must be reclaimed by genuine progressives, by Agunloye

Why Ondo must be reclaimed by genuine progressives, by Agunloye 21/03/2012 01:12:00 Emmanuel Oladesu, Deputy Political Editor and Musa Odhoshimeke •’LP is party in hard labour’ Former Minister of Power and Steel Dr. Olu Agunloye yesterday spoke on the push for power shift in Ondo State by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), stressing that the Sunshine State must be reclaimed by genuine progressives in the next governorship election. The former university don and ex-boss of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) chided the ruling Labour Party (LP), which he described as “a party in hard labour for three years”, adding that “governance by scheming” by Governor Olusegun Mimiko has been counter-productive. Agunloye, who is eyeing the governorship on the platform of ACN, aligned with the views of patriotic elements in the Southwest  that regional integration could be fast-tracked, if all the governors in the region are produced by ACN. He said the governor has shown ingratitude to patriotic democrats who stood by him for 21 months and beyond when he was in court fighting for the restoration of his stolen mandate. Agunloye berated Mimiko for repressing a section of the media, pointing out that he had a virulent attack against “Adaba Radio”, which played a critical role in his ascension to power.  The governorship aspirant spoke on politics in Ondo State and his governorship ambition when he visited the Lagos Office of Vintage Press Limited, publisher of ‘The Nation He was accompanied by the members of his campaign organisation, ‘Omoluabi Platform”. The team was received by senior editorial members, including the General Manager, Training and Development, Mr. Soji Omotunde, Vice Chairman of Editorial Board, Mr. Tunji Adegboyega, General Editor Mr. Kunle Fagbemi, Editorial Board Member Mr. Kunle Abimbola and Group Political Editor Mr. Bolade Omonijo. Agunloye lamented that many progressive politicians joined LP in 2007 before they thought it was Action Congress (AC), recalling that Mimiko himself may have declined from joining the party so that the impression would not be created that he was teaming up with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to fight former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He dissected the Mimiko Administration, saying that it has not performed to expectation. The aspirant said the administration was wasting public money on frivolities, adding that many personal assistants are being appointed by the governor from a section of the state. Agunloye said: “There must be a paradigm shift. There must be a shift from continuity to change. We must change from wastage to ‘omoluabi’. We must remove mistrust from governance”. Chiding the administration for lack of prioritisation, he added: “How much money has been spent? Where has the money gone to? Markets are being built. We did not elect Mimiko as Babaloja of Ondo State. Market is the work of local government. So pe r cent of the market stalls are not being used, either because they are far or people are still used to other means.  “Major priorities in Ondo are not planting of flowers and beautification of bus stops.  Government is not involved in wealth creation, but wealth annulment. While Ajasin embarked on industrialisation, Mimiko is engaged in window dressing. Money is being spent and wealth is not being created. They are spending money in the wrong direction. They are just consuming. “We need to create wealth. We need to go back to agriculture. Hospitals in Ondo State are bad, inspite of claims by government that Abiye Clinics are spreading health. This is a government under hard labour. Ondo State has been under hard labour. There has been no progress”. Agunloye urged members of the ACN to build the party into an enviable platform ahead of the poll. He noted that people have expressed worry about the large number of governorship aspirants under the platform. Explaining the entry of many chieftains into the race, he said “not only are people fed up with the LP government, there is the pervading feeling that ACN is the winning party”. Agunloye, is, however, sure that once the governorship candidate emerges, any rancour would become more manageable.  The former minister said that he is fit for the governorship on account of his wealth of experience, popularity and integrity. He stressed: “I am on ground. I am a the bridge between the old members of AD and new members of ACN. I have pedigree and I am known for good record, I have experience and I am competent. I am a loyal partyman.” -Culled from The Nation Newspaper, 21st March, 2012