The Ogun State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP wishes to express satisfaction that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC government in Ogun State has finally found its voice after waking up from a long slumber by showing readiness to set up the much talked about Amotekun Security Outfit after almost fourteen months of unnecessary foot dragging.
As a party with a long standing tradition of being the voice of the people, Ogun PDP is convinced that Amotekun Security Outfit will go a long way in complementing the efforts of other regular security agencies in securing the state from the growing scourge of kidnapping, banditory and other forms of vices. This has been demonstrated in other states in the South West region especially in the neighboring Oyo state.
Since the state government’s has finally agreed to bow to superior view, we can only encourage the ruling government to roll up its sleeves and resist further temptations of falling asleep again. On that note, we wish to charge the government on openness and marked transparency especially as it concerns the process of recruitment of personnels of the security outfit.
On the planned Residents Identification Exercise which is scheduled to take off in January 2021. Ordinarily, it is a welcome development because it adequately stems from our party’s cardinal policy and programme which we have always propagated to the people during electioneering campaigns. We can only hope and pray that such noble idea earns all the seriousness and priority attention it deserves. Equally, we hope the program is not slaughtered on “slab of trial and error”, a reputation which the ruling APC government has successfully earned and has always fallen flat in our faces. We believe the program is better handled by dedicated task force team in respective Local Council areas under strict monitoring by the state officials.
Furthermore, on the take off of the State Health Insurance Scheme, the announcement of a paltry sum of #5m per Local Government for the take off is not just laughable, it is appalling, it is a no brainer to say the least. It readily exposes the thorough confusion of a government whose state andis constantly ranked among the first ten of most infected cases of Covid-19 pandemic. Also, the ruling government must give detailed public account statement on the special allocation of all monies provided for the Scheme so that more funds could be allocated for the proposed State Health Insurance Scheme.
Perhaps, we should remind the government that this is a brand new year. It is therefore expected that the government would drop its insensitive penchant for running the business of governance in secrecy. For instance, the announced commencement of the second phase of 150 housing units at Kemta, Sagamu Kobape, Ijebuode, Ilaro etc, our great party will require the ruling APC government to inform Ogun tax payers, the total amount expended on the 1st phase of these housing projects and the respective stages of their constructions including names and particulars of contractors handling the jobs etc. All these basic information should be known to the members of the public before dropping “an audio” second phase on people’s laps. These demands, for us essentially bothers on public probity and transparent honesty in the conduct of government business.
While wishing all Ogun state tax payers the very best in 2021, our party as a responsible opposition will continue to keep the government on its toes. We shall educate the good people of Ogun state, on regular basis, the true progress on infrastructural development embarked on by the ruling APC government especially on roads through which people’s commonwealth is regularly being diverted into private vaults outside the state in billions without commensurate physical development.
