Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State said on Saturday that he would not lie or deceive the electorate about what he can do or the actual situation of things in the state under his administration, just to earn their votes.
Speaking at an interactive session with the youth and students of various associations in the state’s tertiary institutions in Akure, the governor stated that it would be difficult for the state to operate three state universities successfully without increasing tuition fees.
Therefore, he said those promising drastic reduction in tuition fees in the state were being deceitful.
He said that his focus in his second term would be job creation through entrepreneurship, skills acquisition and agriculture.
On what he has been able to achieve in his first term, the governor said that he has created more than 20,000 direct jobs through the various industries operating at the Ore industrial hub.
He also disclosed that an investor had paid the first instalment for the moribund OluwaGlass at Igbokoda, in Ilaje Local Government Area of the state.
Furthermore, Akeredolu said that he planned to ensure that more students took interest in studying agriculture.
“Very soon, the College of Agriculture will depend less on government funding,” he added.
Blaming his predecessors for establishing universities without getting accreditation for many courses, Akeredolu said he was building two teaching hospitals in Akure and Ondo towns adding, “We are turning Ondo State into a medical hub.
“We are earning less and doing much. There was a time we earned big but all the money went down the drain.
“My concern is to move ahead. We will need the best to manage the three universities.
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“When I was sworn in in 2017, the first executive bill I sent to the Ondo State House of Assembly was the establishment of the Ondo State Development and Investment Promotion Agency (ONDIPA)
“It was to see to the policy of investment promotion, business development and wealth creation in our state.
“Today, through ONDIPA, Ondo has moved from number 34 to number 16 in the ease of doing business in Nigeria.
“By the grace of Almighty God, the Ore Industrial Park is a creation of ONDIPA.”
In his remarks, Mr. Akinrinsola Odunayo, Chairman, Youth and Students Mobilisation Committee of the Akeredolu/Aiyedatiwa Campaign Organisation, pointed out that the development being witnessed in Lagos was because of continuity.
“Four years is not enough; we need to come around to help the governor to consolidate on his current achievements in the State.
“Lagos State is what it is today because there is continuity.
“Akeredolu is the man to lead Ondo State to her Cannan Land, for he has given us a reason,” he stated.
The Ondo governorship election is scheduled to take place on October 10.
