By Ayodele Oni
Ondo state Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has assured of his administration’s support for efforts to immortalize a former governor of the state, late Dr Olusegun Agagu.
Akeredolu spoke on Sunday in Akure at a Colloquium and other activities to mark the 10th years remembrance of the late former governor.
Dr. Olusegun Agagu, former deputy governor, minister was Governor of Ondo state from 2003 to 2009, when the Court of Appeal in Benin, Edo state voided his election for second term.
He enjoined organizers of the programme to sustain and use it to positively impact on the lives of the less privileged in the society.
“I encourage you to institute scholarship awards to immortalize the late Governor. On our part, we will support such efforts established in his remembrance, in order to keep the fire burning.
“Indeed it is worthy to continue to celebrate him in remembrance of the many good and remarkable things he did while on earth, especially the impact he made in his short stay as our Governor.
“One would not easily forget his introduction of a developmental policy blueprint “Ondo State Roadmap to Progress, 2003-2007: that the sun might shine again”. Successive administrations have taken after him to form their policy documents, including our 8-point REDEEMED Agenda.
“We will not forget his practicability as Deputy Governor in using his resourcefulness, knowledge and profession as a Geologist, to influence Ondo State in becoming an oil-producing State.
“We all are enjoying this till today, in terms of an expanded economy. He was also the Minister of Aviation and later Minister for Power and Steel, which also brought us many dividends in Ondo State.
“If not for the truncation of his administration, he had great plans to bring to reality and completion, Bitumen exploration, Olokola Free Trade Zone, Omotosho Power Plant, Ondo Seaport and others.
“Our late patriarch who was popularly described “as more of an administrator than a politician”, achieved so much as Governor in the area of Primary, Secondary and Tertiary educational development, including establishment of the State University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, now named after him.
“We must also remember his establishment of the then State Micro-Credit Agency (OSMA), to give credit to farmers, workers and entrepreneurs. He impacted immensely in other sectors such as health, infrastructural development, and agriculture.
“Dr. Agagu opened up many rural roads culminating in indigenes driving home for the first time ever, like the case of Igbekebo, capital of Ese-odo Local Government Area. He also worked towards establishment of at least one Basic Health Centre in each political ward of the State.
“Late Dr. Agagu as Governor in Nigeria, started the desirable era of transparency and accountability in governance, by declaring publicly the amount accruing to the State from the Federation Accounts, every month then.
“No wonder, the people of Ondo State realized what they lost, in terms of transparency, well-thought-out planning, excellence in execution of projects and programmes and so on.
“Record have it that despite funding projects and programmes 100% right from scratch with quarterly releases, he left billions of Naira in the State Treasury, by the time the administration came to an abrupt end. He had zero tolerance for abandoned projects, whether inherited or initiated by his administration.”
