24 Feb 2009 |
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Segun Mimiko does not have the time to celebrate
Ayo Akinfe It has been a few days now since the euphoria of the Appeal Court judgement in Benin where the inevitable happened and Dr Olusegun Mimiko was declared the winner of the 2007 gubernatorial contest in Ondo State. There was dancing in the streets as people celebrated the authentication of their mandate, which even former governor Olusegun Agagu would acknowledge did not belong to him. A lot has been said and written about what all this means for the 2007 elections, their credibility and the kind of human being Maurice Iwu is. Personally, I believe it is self-explanatory, so there is no need to go over that ground again. History and posterity will judge Professor Iwuruwuru for the crimes he committed against Nigeria two years ago but the people of Ondo State do not have that kind of time on their hands. Governor Mimiko has inherited a state that is in a parlous condition, with some of the worst infrastructure in Nigeria. Ondo State used to be the cash cow of the old Western Region, providing the bulk of the revenue its premier Obafemi Awolowo, used to build up cities like Ibadan and greater Lagos but today, it can barely hold its own. Through its thriving cocoa production, Ondo State generated millions in export earnings back in the 1950s, boosting both regional and federal coffers and until the sudden emergence of crude oil led us to lose our collective focus, the state was poised to become an industrial hotbed. As recently ad the 1980s, not only did Ondo State have a cocoa processing plant at Ile Oluji but it also had a palm oil manufacturing facility in Okitipupa and the Nigerian-Romanian Wood Industry in Ondo town. With the black gold craze, however, all that was considered unnecessary and the sectors gradually folded. Of late, we have begun reviving these plants but they are nowhere near operating at their expected capacities. Luckily for Ondo State, it is oil-producing and as such receives the fifth highest allocation in the country thanks to its 13% derivation money. Despite this, however, the state has some of the poorest infrastructure in the land. Its roads lag behind that of many of its neighbours, while healthcare, streetlights, water supply, housing, library services, transportation links, access to micro finance and inward investment are nothing to write home about. For some weird reason, Ondo State has been particularly unlucky with governors, as both its civilian and military rulers have done little for its people. One just needs to look at the six years Segun Agagu spent in office to appreciate the poor leadership the people of Ondo State have had to endure. In two years, the likes of Babatunde Fashola and Emmanuel Uduaghan have achieved more than Agagu did in six. Given the perilous state of affairs in Ondo State today, Segun Mimiko cannot afford to savour his victory for too long. It is time to get down to the serious business of making the state the economic and industrial powerhouse it should be. Agriculture should be revived through the provision of micro credits to small farmers as Governor Uduaghan is doing in Delta State and commercial farmers should be invited to invest as Governor Bukola Saraki has done in Kwara State. Infrastructure should be built as Governor Fashola is doing in Lagos State and clear targets should be set for commissioners. I for one will be looking closely at the composition of Governor Mimiko’s cabinet to get a feel for what direction he intends heading. Will he surround himself with political cronies or look for tried and tested administrators and technocrats prepared to think the unthinkable? Will being prepared to think outside the box be one of the criteria for appointment? Governor Mimiko needs to give his education commissioner a target on reducing class sizes, the health commissioner needs to reduce mortality rates by a certain percentage each year, the agriculture commissioner must expand output by a certain number of tonnes a season, while the trade and industry commissioner must attract a certain volume of foreign direct investment each year. Failure to meet any of these lofty goals must lead to immediate cabinet reshuffles, starting with the environment commissioner, who must immediately create a feel good factor by sprucing up the state and making it pleasing on the eye. Given the strategic location of Ore along the only artery that links Nigeria’s east and west, is there any reason why it is not an investment haven? Idanre Hills is as beautiful a natural spot as anywhere in the world but it is in a pathetic state when compared with the likes of the Obudu Cattle Ranch or Olumo Rock. It still amazes me why Agagu never saw it fit to emulate what some of his colleagues were doing in the tourist sector. We will be here all day going through the potential Ondo State has if I am to list them one by one. In agriculture alone, I can think of at least 10 crops that the state could produce which have the capability of generating at least $1bn in foreign exchange earnings each. I hope the man known as Iroko lives up to his agrarian nickname and gets Ondo State producing so much cocoa, palm oil, kolanuts, timber, yam, rice, cassava, cashews, coconuts, papaya and rubber that its export earnings dwarf it federal allocation. Ondo State’s oil money should strictly be reserved for the two local governments that produce it. Spending revenue from crude pumped out of Ilaje in Akure makes a mockery of the resource control principle. Whether Governor Mimiko is able to do any of this within four years is still to be seen but even if the time span is too short to achieve it all, he should at least make a damn good go of it. Donald Duke was not in office long enough to see Tinapa making money but no one can fault his vision and foresight in setting the project up. Victor Attah did not see the Uyo airport functional while he was in office but his successor is expected to commission the project this year. If Dr Mimiko wants to go down in the annals of Nigeria’s history, maybe he should set himself the ambitious target of doing something no other governor has done before. How about making Ondo State the first state in Nigeria to be self-sufficient in power generation? My advice to the new governor is to call an end to the celebrations now and get on with the serious business. Iroko has his work cut out and he has a short timescale within which to etch his prints in the annals of history. Ayo Akinfe Aakinfe@aol.com
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