Agboola Ajayi, standard-bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo, says he will win the governorship election in the state “convincingly”.
Ajayi, who was the deputy governor of Ondo between 2017 and 2021, spoke on Friday during a press briefing in Lagos.
The Ondo governorship election will hold on November 16, 2024.
Ajayi claimed that residents of the state have been grappling with poverty under the All Progressives Congress (APC) which has displayed a “lack of foresight and defined policy for good governance”.
He alleged that Lucky Aiyedatiwa, governor of the state, lacks foresight and coordination, and is “grossly incompetent in managing the affairs of the state”.
“It is my candid position that Ondo state cannot afford to continue an inch further on this road to perdition,” he said, adding that the election will shape or mar the fortune of the state in the next four years.
The governorship candidate said the people of the state would resist any attempt to buy votes and rig the election.
The former deputy governor reeled out his plans for the state in various sectors, including security, agriculture, education, health, infrastructure, industry and marine economic development, rural development and environment, sports, and civil service.
Ajayi said if elected, he will enhance the capacity of law enforcement agencies, particularly Amotekun, forest guards, vigilantes and traditional hunters through “advance training” and the provision of appropriate equipment and required legislation.
“We will incorporate and engage traditional rulers, religious leaders and other stakeholders in implementing community policing and neighborhood watch for the safety of our people.
“We will invest heavily in technology by deploying modern surveillance and intelligent gathering technologies to effectively monitor hotspots and vulnerable areas such as forest reserves and farmlands to prevent and respond to crime appropriately.”
Ajayi said his agricultural policies will be anchored on promoting self-sufficiency in food production to meet the UN food security mandate.
He said this will include providing training and support for farmers to adopt modern farming techniques and incentives to investors to establish an agro-processing industry to add value to agricultural products, reduce post-harvest losses, create jobs for the youth and grow the economy of the state.
“We shall sustain agricultural practices for long-term productivity by ensuring the availability of fertilizers and agricultural input at subsidized rate. Providing tractors for farmers at a subsidised rate will be encouraged.
“We would also establish a procurement agency that will provide a ready market for all our agricultural produce which will in turn encourage our farmers to produce beyond their subsistence level,” he said.
Ajayi said quality education for economic development, social equity, technological advancement and cultural preservation for sustainable development will be guaranteed by his government.
According to him, schools will be built and renovated with the provision of information technology, recruitment of quality teachers and purchase of educational materials.
He said tertiary education will be well funded through an increase in budgetary allocation, adding that affordable tuition fees in the institutions will be negotiated with stakeholders.
The gubernatorial candidate said the health sector in Ondo is in bad shape.
“We shall address this ugly trend by providing at least one primary health centre in each of the 203 wards in the state which will be staffed with trained and dedicated medical personnel,” he said.
“The provision of essential drugs, hospital consumables and laboratory services to patients at affordable cost in all public medical facilities across the state will be our priority.
“We will partner with investors to establish pharmaceutical manufacturing industries in the state to produce drugs for sale to government institutions and the general public. The welfare of our medical officers and staff in the health sector will be our priority for effective service delivery.”
Ajayi promised to rehabilitate roads, construct waterways, provide rural and urban electrification, and enhance and improve clean and pipe-borne water delivery “for the benefit of our people”.
“We will ensure that the moribund companies in Ondo state are resuscitated and where this is impossible, we will encourage the establishment of new ones,” he said.
“All these will be pursued with the singular purpose of creating massive employment opportunities for the people of the state. I will win Ondo guber poll convincingly.”
