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The Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun has been described as a hardworking and a politician with deep spiritual faith driven by a burning desire to transform the state into Nigeria’s number one choice for every foreign and local investor.
The Chief of Staff to the State Governor, Chief Tolu Odebiyi gave these descriptions while playing host to journalists in his Oke-Mosan office in Abeokuta.
Chief Odebiyi pointed out that Senator Amosun is an extremely passionate man who believes that citizens of the State have long been short-changed and so deserve better life henceforth. This, the Chief of Staff, added is one of the reasons behind the governor’s commitment and dedication to the development of infrastructures across the state.
According to him, “Governor Ibikunle Amosun is a politician with deep spiritual faith driven by a burning desire to transform the State into a destination of choice for both local and foreign investors. He is a very passionate man who desires citizens of our dear State to live a better life having been short-changed in the past.
‘‘Some people may not like his haste to get things done immediately, but that is him. He wants to quickly reverse the infrastructural decay in the State. The governor is a workaholic who sleeps less than four hours out of twenty-four hours in a day. He is someone that genuinely cares”, Odebiyi posited.
He explained that every on-going infrastructural project across the state would be completed before the end of tenure of Governor Amosun government in 2019.
According to him, “Ogun State is a civil service State growing at its own pace which makes it far more conducive than Lagos which is presently congested and chaotic. Ogun is close to Lagos and we have this unique border advantage. There is a need for us to attract more foreign investors and for such to happen, there is need to develop the State capital first because that would be the first port of call of every potential investor.
Odebiyi maintained that, ‘‘though, the level of infrastructure might defer, there is infrastructure development going on across the state including Ijebu, Ota as well as some Yewa towns. The dynamism and peculiar need of every area is always considered when sitting infrastructure. For instance, an area where you can easily get back your financial investment is first considered before others. I want to assure that every town and city in the state will be touched and all the on-going projects would be completed before the end of this present government in 2019, and don’t forget that government is a continuum.
‘‘As a Government, every region of the state is very paramount and important. As for me, my dream is that Ogun State should be the capital of education in the country. To me, agriculture, education and infrastructure are good areas that must be developed and we must also invest in tourism to attract more foreign investors. Education is very important. It opens your mind to everything and makes you creative,” Odebiyi said.
As the Chief of Staff, Chief Odebiyi stated that his first assignment is to focus on the State Governor by creating an enabling environment for him and provide enabling tools for him to make him function effectively. He said that he is always available to listen and relate with people not only from Ogun West, but across all the regions that make-up the state. He pointed out that he has been helping many citizens of the state.
The Chief of Staff added that he has done numerous empowerment programmes across the three senatorial districts of the state, adding that as a citizen with a burning desire to serve, he was ready to take care of the needs of the good people of the state.
The Iboro-Yewa North-born estate mogul posited that he did not believe in do or die politics. According to him, politics is for service and therefore should not be a do or die affair stressing, “As for me, emergence of many aspirants from Ogun West is not a problem. I have told the Governor that whether I am chosen or not, as much as the person is from Ogun West, I am very okay with it and I will give maximum support because Ogun state is bigger than anyone, and we should therefore not allow ego to overtake.
Answering a question Odebiyi said, “first of all, campaign has not started and I am still in service. However, consultation with leaders is still going on and by the virtue of my office, it would be wrong for me to start campaigning now. Although, I do meet people and communities, it is not in a mould of campaign. If I want to do that I will need to resign my appointment.
‘‘You see, it will be a shame to continue to do things the way our forefathers were doing, we need to improve on it. I cannot be who I am not, if I have been blessed to go to school and gain exposure, that doesn’t mean I should forget my people, especially my community and my state. Exposure does not make a man; it is the character that makes a man. You can be educated and have a lousy character; it is your humility and good character that make a man. That is what you grow up with and it’s what you desire to be in life. One way or the other, people get to love you when you are humble.
‘‘My door is always open to everybody without any hindrance. So, it’s when you are caring and humble that people get to know you and believe that you can be trusted with power. They see you as someone who is accountable and responsible. If such a person misbehaves, people know whom to report to because his roots are known and traceable. It is not through hooliganism and indigeneship ambiguity that one gets into power. It is through humility and zeal to serve’’, he said.
The only son of the late Senator Jonathan Odebiyi said his ambition to contest as Governor was because of the zeal to serve the people of Ogun state. He added that his experience in private practice and sphere of influence as well as his experience presently as Chief of Staff equip him for the task ahead. “
On 2019, he said Senator Ibikunle Amosun, being a God -fearing person and someone who believes in equity and justice, has expressed his preference that the Governorship post of the state should go to Ogun West, a senatorial district that has never tasted the office before in over 40 years history of the state.
‘‘The Governor has said at many fora that it will be unfair for a section of the state not to have assumed the number one office of the state since its creation over 40 years ago. I now realised that, it is when you are inside that you have opportunities. For me, it is a privilege to be in government and I now see how government performs its job. A lot of people don’t know what informs what decision that Government takes.
‘‘For me, I will be very happy to participate in the 2019 governorship election. I have the experience, the exposure and all it takes to lead and govern the state effectively. I have a standard that should be maintained because as the son of a prominent elder statesman, people will expect much more from you and as a result, performance will be your watchword. So, among the aspirants from Ogun West, the weight of expectation is more on my shoulder and I feel the weight more than any other aspirant,’’ Odebiyi submitted.
