RE-OGUN STATE BUDGET 2014 OF 210.21 BILLION: The Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun has presented a budget of 210.21 billion Naira (about 1.3 billion dollars) for the 2014 fiscal year to the State House of Assembly in Abeokuta, the Capital of Ogun State. The governor said that the capital expenditure would remain 117.5 billion Naira (about 739 million dollars) representing 55.90 per cent while the recurrent expenditure would be 92.7 billion Naira (about 583.3 million dollars) representing 44.10 per cent of the total budget. The governor said that the 2013 budget was able to achieve 64.2 per cent and pointed out that the 2014 budget would be geared towards five cardinal programmes with education taking the lion share of 43.9 billion Naira (about 276.1 million dollars) of the budget. He said that other programmes, health, agriculture/industrialization, rural and urban development, would also take the centre stage. The address of the governor during the budget presentation must be seen in the character of further deceit and be received with a pinch of salt. Amosun sounded like a broken and failed record. This is a government that has spent more months in governance than it is left (because his term expires on May 29, 2013) sounding self-righteousness and boasting on his Five Cardinal Programmes. My issue here is really not on the budget details and the so-called self-marked 64.2 per cent achievement for 2013 which is another lie but how the governor has performed so far on his Five Cardinal Programmes. I am using the peoples and public lenses to assess SIAmosuns government on his five Cardinal Programmes:AMOSUNS FIVE CARDINAL PROGRAMMES1. AFFORDABLE QUALITATIVE EDUCATION: There is no qualitative education in Ogun state since the inception of Amosuns government. There is also no free education in Ogun State at present. The distribution of exercise books to students is commendable but this act does not stand for or equate to free education. The good policy of free education in primary and secondary schools has always been canvassed by aspiring political leaders but many have failed woefully for lack of Will and Determination to implement the necessary action. Under the present Ogun State administration, schools are dilapidated; the needed infrastructures are not available and in some cases are in total state of dis-repairs where available. SIAmosun model schools as contexualized by him can only be added to the existing schools. The model schools can not accomodate all students in Ogun State which neccessitates refurbishment and repairs of existing Schools infrastructure; and he has refused to do this. I truly feel sorry for students who are unduly taxed by teachers and are studying under terrible infrastructural decay. The government of Amosun has lowered the morals of teachers because there are no incentives to render quality service. 2. EFFICIENT HEALTH CARE DELIVERY: The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) issued a paper saying that there is no free medical service in Ogun State. This statement exposes the lies of the incumbent governor Amosun. At present, there is an abysmal failure in the health sector. This was confirmed recently by the mid-term assessment of the state by the Nigerian Medical Association. The Association scored the state government very low and declared Abysmal Failure in the Health Sector. Amosun pledged after he was sworn in that aged people from 70 years and above, Children from zero to five years as well as pregnant women shall enjoy free healthcare. Nothing has been achieved on this pledge in 30 months of Amosuns government. All his pledges have remained Utopian. How long can he fool the people?3. AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION LEADING TO INDUSTRIALIZATION: My question to Amosun on this Cardinal programme is; What are his fundamental drivers for Industrialization of Agriculture? I have not seen any on ground to demonstrate his readiness to fulfill this promise. Big promise from the governor that lack in-depth understanding. To industrialize Agriculture, there must be a major transformation in Technology, Production Practices, Size of Business, Resource (Land) control and operation, Business linkages with buyers and suppliers. Researchers into Industrialization of Agriculture agreed that they are at least six key drivers to enable the shift towards a more industrial model for Agriculture. These Key Drivers are Technology, Financial Forces, Economic Forces, Human Capital, Value Chain Forces, and Structural Changes. Amosun has not effected any of these key drivers yet he is talking of Industrialization of Agriculture. Amosun is only fooling himself and not the people. He will never get the second term in government.4. AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND URBAN RENEWAL: OGD’s administration did creditably well for the people on this cardinal programme. I am yet to see any full realization of affordable housing by Amosun.The assurance of Urban renewal success is hinged on the tripartite governance of the Government, the Organized Private Sector (OPS), and the NGOs like Labour leaders, Religious leaders Every forward looking government creates enabling environment for development of new cities while maintaining historical sites. Amosun has destroyed historical and tourists sites in Ogun state for road projects while he left many promising unused and free lands that are available for development into new cities. Here I commend SIAmosun for some on-going roads expansion and construction especially those that would aid Agricultural development even though he is constructing them at extra exorbitant cost to the state but that vision is commendable. 5. RURAL AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT AND EMPLOYMENT GENERATIONSIAmosun declared a war against owners of small businesses in Ogun State. Thousands of men, women and youths had their means of livelihood consumed by SIA rampaging squad which was fortified with gun wielding policemen. Many others were rendered homeless and left at the mercy of the elements. Goods worth millions of naira were also destroyed in the process. The roads projects SIA awarded for unprecedented amounts are already dualised roads with the necessary drainages and require only routine maintenance. In 2004 when Otunba Gbenga Daniel, did the dualisation of the Sagamu-Siun-Abeokuta Expressway, houses which fell within the right of way of the new road were demolished. However the houses were demolished only after new modern ones had been built as replacement and the people effectively relocated to their new homes. Why is Governor Amosun demolishing people’s houses and means of livelihood without first providing alternatives for them? Why is Governor Amosun turning small business owners into frustrated people who are unable to cater for their families?Eighty percent of the roads for which Governor Amosun awarded contracts totaling N100 Billion do not need such contracts. What most of the roads require are just maintenance and facelift. It is curious that such a huge sum of money is being spent just to expand roads while thousands of roads in the rural areas of the state are neglected. The 20km Ilishan-Ago Iwoye road bill of quantity prepared by the defunct OGROMA was N1.85 billion. As at May 2011, the three major bridges on the road had been completed. Indeed one of them scheduled for commissioning by President Goodluck Jonathan during his visit to Ogun State in 2010 had its earthwork done and already asphalted. Median had been done on 85% of the stretch, while the portion from the Benin-Sagamu Expressway through Ilisan into nearly Irolu had been asphalted. OGROMA did all of that for a total sum of N1.55 billion, leaving a balance of N300m to complete the job. However, OGROMA could not complete the road because it couldnt access the balance of N300m before the end of the tenure of OGD Administration. A private assessment instituted by AGOS concluded that, even with inflation, the road could be completed with N600m. Governor Amosun awarded a contract of N8 billion for the completion of this same road, a rip-of of peoples money. This same scenario played out in all the other road contracts awarded by the Amosun government. The fraudulent acts of the present administration through roads contracts must be stopped. If by acts of error or ommission, SIA gets the second term chance, Ogun state will never recover from the mind boggling debt, he is incurring. What bothers Ogun state people are the land degradation, the unemployment of vibrant and proactive youths, unrest and the economic insecurity presently overtaking the state. The present government in Ogun State has driven away good investment from the State. All patriotic residents of Ogun must therefore rise to decry the anti-people programmes of Amosun and make necessary change in 2015. His style of governance lacks competence and accountability according to International Standard. The people are groaning that two and half years after, the situation appears to have worsened. The so called ‘rebuilding’ mission of the incumbent governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun has resulted in spiraling unemployment , loss of businesses and total emasculation of small and medium scale enterprises. In 2011, the state’s unemployment rate stood at 8.5 percent and was perhaps the lowest in the country. Under the current government, It has climbed to the national average of 19.5%. Amosun is looking for more ways to siphon the states fund for the coming election and time has come for him to be stopped. This is time for all to arise and send this man out in 2015.
Posted on: Wed, 20 Nov 2013 15:30:34 +0000
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