Oyetola states plan to sustain hope

After taking oath as Osun State governor yesterday, Isiaka Gboyega Oyetola promised to forge ahead to sustain hope while building on the foundation set by his predecessor, Rauf Aregbesola.

Oyetola and his deputy, Benedict Gboyega Alabi, were yesterday inaugurated at the Osogbo Township Stadium.

The oath of office was administered on them by Osun State Chief judge, Justice Oyebola Adeleke Ojo.

Oyetola, who won the September 22 and 27 governorship elections, took his oath at 1.05pm.

He defeated the Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) an Osun West senator at the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly.

The Independent National Electoral Commission declared  Oyetola scored the winner of the election after scoring 255,505 votes to defeat his main rival, Adeleke, who scored 255,023 votes.

Oyetola, a native of Iragbiji, the headquarters of Boripe Local Government Area, served as the Chief of Staff to Aregbesola, for almost eight years.

In his inaugural speech, Oyetola promised to build on the progress already achieved by his predecessor.

He said: “We will build on the progress already achieved and we shall do so farm by farm, industry by industry, village by village, school by school, person by person, until everyone in this state feels the beneficial influence of progressive good governance in the most important aspects of their lives.

“We rest not and quit not. We forge ahead because progress is all we know. Neither defeat nor retreat is for us. We shall learn from the past, yet we shall never be stuck in the past, we shall forge ahead to sustain the hope and greatest good of the greatest number of our people.

“Let me, at this juncture, point out what will become the defining hallmark of our intervention in governance, in the next four years, namely; a social partnership between government and the people based on the execution of a social contract. We will combine the sagacity of Obafemi Awolowo, the vision of Bola Ige, the wisdom of Bisi Akande, the dexterity of Bola Tinubu and the innovative capacity of Rauf Aregbesola to make our State even greater.

“We will ensure that workers’ salaries are paid promptly, bearing in mind the financial inflow of the state. We shall resolutely defend, extend and prioritise the welfare of workers and pensioners. To reposition the economy of our great state, we shall organize the Osun Economic Summit within the first quarter of our first year in office.

“The multi-stage, multi-stakeholder summit will dissect and recommend strategies which will drive meaningful youth employment, enhance food security, agricultural development, activate mining prospects and boost tourism potentials of this state. We will showcase Osun as a strategic location for industrialization.

“We are convinced that the peaceful atmosphere, a welcoming people, low crime rate, communal peace and the relative stability of electricity supply (particularly in the capital city) will attract local and foreign investors.

“We will develop the free trade zone while strengthening Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as a way to enhance their productive capacity to generate jobs and create wealth. To further boost our local economy and increase the revenue base, we shall make Osun a cultural destination and a tourism enterprise zone in the Southwest.

“We shall improve on the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state in ways that do not bring additional burden to the people.  We will make health and education more accessible. Employment opportunities will be created through industrialization and expansion of agricultural activities through appropriate incentives.

“To boost agriculture and food security. Our administration will consolidate on the agricultural land expansion programme (the Land Bank), with additional target of 20,000 hectares to the Land Bank. We will establish nine (9) new farm settlements (one each per federal constituency) while we push forward on our promise to establish agro-industrial parks and produce markets.

“It is time to create jobs for our youths. We will upgrade our vocational technical institutions to make them more vibrant with the demands of a technology-driven, fast-paced world. We will in partnership with the private sector, establish light manufacturing industries in the major sectors of the economy to create at least 30,000 jobs.”

“We will seek the full development of the proposed mid-regional market hub and establishment of Osun Dry Port through public-private partnership. We will refurbish and expand existing markets in major towns. Our administration recognizes the importance of intra and inter-city roads to facilitate movement of goods and people. We will continue to muster resources to build strategic roads across the state.”