We will repeat Peter Obi’s feat in Ondo, says Alao, APGA candidate

Former Ondo State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Adeyemi Alao who is the candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) in this month governorship election has promised to run an administration anchored on the tripod of transparency, accountability and probity if given the opportunity to emerge as the state governor.

Alao, who was a member of the Ondo State House of Assembly before his appointment as a cabinet member in the administration of late Dr. Olusegun Agagu and who served as a member of the Law Commission under incumbent Olusegun Mimiko, told The Guardian in Akure during the weekend that “transparency, accountability and probity are the essential ingredients of good governance that would create an enabling environment for socio-economic growth.

“A transparent government that is accountable to the people will naturally draw investors and gets supports from the citizens. Government resources will not be frittered away therefore there will be enough to provide infrastructures and security for the state to grow in leaps and bounds.”

According to the politician, “The major bane of our development as a state is the secrecy in which government activities are shrouded. This is wrong. Government should be accountable to the people because public office is held in trust.

“During the Agagu administration, every citizen of Ondo State had access to what was in the purse of the state. I was a member of a committee that reviewed, on monthly basis, how much came into the coffers of the state and hoe such fund were being disbursed. That was transparency.

“If we are given the opportunity to serve, we will be fair to all and we will not engage in contract inflation and other anti-people practices. We promise to give value for every kobo of the state spent in pursue of development. This is a legacy that the APGA government has created in Anambra State, which today, is the only state in the federation that is not burdened by debt.

“We are going to repeat what former APGA governor, Peter Obi did in turning the economy of Anambra around and what governor Obiano is doing in sustaining prompt payment of salaries, a luxury that Ondo workers cannot afford.”

“Because we will hit the ground running and would not give room for any distraction, we are not going to exert our energy on fruitless probes of anybody except in some extremely bad cases and our focus on that will be recovery of stolen funds.”

Disclosing why he presented himself for service, Alao said, “I am the most equipped for this job by my training as a lawyer and a financial consultant coupled with my experience as a state legislator and Attorney General. I know how government runs. I don’t need any apprenticeship having served as a key member of Agagu administration and also under Mimiko.”

Speaking on his plan for the youths and high rate of unemployment, he said, “I am deeply concerned about the current intolerably high rate of unemployment, particularly among our youths. I think our political leaders have not done enough in addressing this nagging issue and we ignore this issue at our own peril. 

“It is the responsibility of government to provide an enabling environment for entrepreneurship to thrive so that more job opportunities can be created and improve school curriculum to incorporate skill development thereby increasing the employability of our youths. Our youths also need seamless access to single-digit financing, mentorship and a host of other incentives to unleash their creative abilities.

“If I am elected Governor of Ondo State, I will declare a state of emergency in the area of job creation. Within 100 days, we will partner with private sector operators to train at least ten thousand youths in skill acquisition. Within one year, we shall create at least one hundred thousand meaningful jobs in IT, the agriculture value chain, sports, leisure, etc. I have a blueprint on this; it is not just a mere campaign promise.

“On women empowerment I concede to Governor Mimiko that he has done a lot in the area of building markets across the state for our women. That is commendable. I am also aware that some form of loan facility is in place but it is grossly inadequate and the process is too stringent. We will go a notch higher by relaxing some of the conditions to access the loan and even make the pricing cheaper.

“That is one of our multidimensional strategies to revive the state’s economy. Empirical data has shown that the less privileged members of the society are generally afraid of defaulting in loan repayment. It is the elite class who takes billions of naira as loan and delights in suing the lender. An average market woman has no such liver.

“The electorate, particularly our youths and women must take their destiny in their hands by voting for integrity, experience and capacity to turn around this state, which I represent. All those who are flaunting stolen wealth with which they are inducing the electorate will turn around to exert their pound of flesh on our commonwealth.

“Whatever inducement they take will be in lieu of enhanced bursary, regular payment of salaries, affordable housing, medical care and other good things of life which a responsive government ought to provide.  After all, there is no free lunch, as they say.”