ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has asserted his qualifications and competence to become the President of Nigeria, expressing his readiness to embrace the opportunity if it presents itself.
While emphasizing that his political future is in the hands of God, the Governor spoke about his ongoing efforts to transform Osun State into a prosperous region.
Governor Adeleke in an exclusive interview with Arise News on Friday, stated that, “Well, if God says it is time for me to become president, I am qualified to be the president of Nigeria, so why not? I will grab it and take care of my people.”
During the interview, he addressed the 2022 governorship election and acknowledged the positive impact of the Biometric Voter Authentication System (BVAS) introduced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He credited the BVAS for preventing potential rigging in the election.
Governor Adeleke shared insights into his governance approach, highlighting his commitment to addressing inherited challenges, including a significant debt burden.
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He outlined efforts to alleviate the financial strain by gradually paying off debts, providing free medical care for pensioners, and revitalizing primary healthcare facilities across the state.
“I have already formed a lot of committees and they are bringing everything. I’m working 24/7 to make sure that Osun is great.
“I inherited a huge debt, about almost forty-something billion. So I started paying them half my salary slowly, little by little. I think I have paid about four times now, the fifth one is coming. And then, the pensioners, I’m paying them too. I gave them free medical care and all that. So that’s part of the palliatives.
“All our primary healthcare, I went there, I visited myself. So, they told me that so a governor can come and visit? I said my own governor is different. They had to start fixing all the health centers, about 332 wards simultaneously, they were fixing it“, he said.
Discussing infrastructure development, the Governor mentioned his focus on state roads and hinterlands, emphasizing the completion of initiated projects.
He clarified that, despite the suspension of federal roads, his administration would complete ongoing state road projects.
Governor Adeleke outlined a comprehensive agenda, including promoting tourism, culture, and entertainment, and tapping into the state’s resources like gold and bitumen to enhance the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
He underscored the importance of leveraging these resources for the overall development of Osun State.
“I have suspended federal roads, but I will complete the one that I started. So, I started fixing the state roads, and of course, the hinterlands. I don’t just do surface. In fact, most of the roads that the APC claims that they fixed, it was through the Federal Government intervention. So, that means that they did not do any roads.
“Part of my agenda includes tourism, culture, and entertainment. And we have gold too, and they did nothing about that. So, we are doing a lot to improve our IGR. We have bitumen, we have a lot of it in Osun State, we have to just tap it”, he said.