Jimoh Ibrahim, the standard bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) whose candidacy was affirmed by the judgment of Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court Abuja has stated the best reason he should be voted in as the next governor of Ondo stat
Mr. Ibrahim, a businessman who rolled out his plan for the state ahead of the November 26, 2016 governorship election in Ondo state said running under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was his best legitimate desire as member of the party.
He spoke extensively in chitchat with newsmen in Akure noting that Ondo state, which has abundant resources, is set to witness a rapid turn around infrastructural development if elected as the next governor of the state.
Although, Mr. Ibrahim, averred that this was not his first time of seeking the governorship contest in Ondo state in the race to the Alagbaka governor’s seat of power, as he had once tried his luck, in the year 2012, after an unsuccessful attempt.
Ibrahim, who explained that he was not a newcomer in the scheming politics of the state, despite skirmishes that had traded his candidature as the standard bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the November gubernatorial election, noted that he is back to realize his ambition as the governor of the state.
“I am running for the Governorship election in the state under the umbrella of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and this is not my first time of running for the governorship election of this state (Ondo state).
“In 2012, I ran for the governorship seat of this state under the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). So, politics is not new. Am not like some people running for the first time who need to do all the work by running through the nooks and corners of Ondo state.
“Am not new to the good people of Ondo state, I have worked before and got a very flexible result at the last engagement when I ran for the governorship election of this state.
“Is my ambition to be the governor of this state and am back to realize that ambition this time around under our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)”, he said with confidence.
According to him, it is a complete “injustice” if a senatorial district continues to produce the Chief Executive Officers (Governor) of the state for years, adding, that the aggrieved people who are belt in taking over governance would not allow such inequality in the rotational power sharing system of the state.
“I need to change the state from the hopeless situation, as it is now, to a very hopeful situation. I need to take away injustice; we cannot afford to have a senatorial district producing governor for 16 years at a goal. That is complete injustice and we would never allow that to happen in Ondo state”
Asked what would be his major priority if eventually emerged as the next governor of the state, Mr. Ibrahim said, the payment of outstanding salaries and arrears of the workforce of the state and resuscitation of moribund infrastructures abandoned by past and present government would be given headway.
“My first priority is payment of outstanding salaries of the workforce because a good workforce is the one that can deliver the dividence of democracy or in my own language that can deliver efficiency or effectiveness.
“The public service is really my own focus and I want them to be trained and retrained. I want the public service training school to be alive again and I want them to be the first among equal in the spectrum in Nigeria and my second priority is to work on the state of infrastructural development which is the major programme.
“One of my programme is to eradicate all forms of Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and Personal Income Tax in Ondo state. When I become the governor, workers would not pay personal income tax.
“Already, you know I am the best to handle issues of major programme in this state that has to do with infrastructures, hospital development, road network and electricity and to make sure Ondo state has light and we are not in the state of darkness”.
He gave assurance of setting up Ondo State Infrastructural Development Commission, which he said, would handle the infrastructural deficit in the state by liaising with the Ministry of works.
“The importance of this commission is to ensure that we diagnose and no the state of infrastructure and when we know that, then we would effectively affect the problem.
“The Idanre hill for instance is very rich; take three or two of the hills, swap it with Julius Berger and do swap contract and let them take two of the hills to construct five or six lanes from Idanre to Akure express road, you don’t pay anything. It is called a swap road.
“Obviously, Julius Berger will use, may be one quarter of the hill to provide the six lane roads and do about eleven thousand kilometer road around Idanre and a drainage system, so that people of the town would have long tile road in every nook and corner and to construct a six lane from that, all you have to do is to exchange two or three of your hills.
“The advantage to us is that we have used the hills to create efficiency and live and hope for the people, to Julius Berger they make profit, and use part of the hill to do what we asked them to do, and they sell the remaining for their purpose and we exchange no kobo for that”
He added that encouraging entrepreneurship for the purpose of creating employment opportunities through effective communication among the people was essential in any society noting that his government would also bring in more business opportunity that can generate innovative ideas.
On education as part catalyst for meaningful development, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, relayed that his cardinal programme if emerged the next governor would be to diagnose the secondary educational sector of the state by returning it back to school dormitory.
“We want to introduce boarding system back to public schools in Ondo state not all of them but we will do a diagnose to come up with a government policy.
“We shall make sure many of the secondary schools return to the boarding schools so that we will get back to the olden days whereby at 5 o’ clock, you wake up and do your exercise and go for your breakfast and later for your lectures and for your sport and dinner and later do your assignment.
“These are things I intend to do when I become the governor of this state, we want to affect education, employment, workforce and efficiency and capability development and the strategy of innovation in the workforce”. Ibrahim explained.
His words “The type of my instrument of doing all of this is by creating a strategy that is deliverable and create a structure and a system because these are the hardware of quality development.
“I intend to ensure we have side of engagement and to create a locust in the strategy and to let us collect the network on my programmes for the development of our great state”.
Overhauling the old style of creating communication system in the ministries, Mr. Ibrahim, a business mogul said the government’s ministries needs effective electronic communication system to reach the staffs for the purpose of internal affairs.
“If the ministry of Justice cannot send an email to customary court in Ose, then how do you think there can be network to deliver justice. We need to get things happened and make every worker to get email in the name of government.
“This could help the staff to interact with any of their colleagues in the other ministry and you can also get database and check information. This is the way we can develop.
“We cannot develop without communication and information; there cannot be efficiency when people don’t know themselves. This network arrangement is very important” he added.
Mr. Ibrahim told journalists that Ondo state needs an “innovative governor” who can think outside the box and give the state a rapid facelift from its current problem.
However, If elected to govern the sunshine state, he threatened to rebrand the branded orange color initiated by the government of governor mimiko, to the main color of Nigeria which is green, white green.
“I will not continue with Mimiko’s logo of orange, I am going back to the Federal Government coat of arms, when I come here as governor, within three days, I will dismantle all those orange colour and put back the coat of arms.
“Ondo State is not a country, it is not an independent state; it is part of Nigeria. So, anything painted in orange will be repainted to green, white and green, which is the colour of the state. All those things will never stay under my government, three days I give you: they are out”, Mr. Ibrahim explained.
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