My good people of Osun state, today marks three years of my assumption of office as your governor. I start by expressing our deep appreciation for your strong support from the beginning till date despite all the challenges. We are eternally grateful to the people and residents of Osun state for their understanding and appreciation of our achievements in the last three years.
We must remember the state of governance when we took over in 2022 – the non-payment of pensions and backlogs of half salaries; the over 80 percent infrastructure deficit; the very poor performance of our pupils in national examinations; the lack of access to health care; the corruption ridden mining sector; the neglect of science and technology innovation; the poor state of sports development; the lip service to agriculture; non-existence of cooperative empowerments; the abandonment of critical projects in our universities; and general climate of insensitive leadership to the yearnings and aspirations of the people.
Three years later, the Osun story is positively different. From far and near, the turning around of Osun for the better is applauded. Osun has become a national reference point in the delivery of good governance and democratic dividends. We dedicate our sterling records of achievements to all cadres of Osun society.
I present our scorecards in summary. This is for the public to see how far the transformation of Osun has gone under our leadership:
Imole Water Sector Reforms
My administration developed a water sector reform that include immediate access to water for Osun people, revival of corruption – ridden Ilesa water project, rehabilitation of urban water schemes and the ongoing completion of Igbomina Ora water project.
The troubled Ilesa Water Project has been revived after anti-corruption measures by our administration. Today, the Ilesa Water Project is back on track with an emphasis on accountability, transparency and community involvement. In the face of acute water shortage in 2022, we innovated community based motorized boreholes in all the 332 wards across the State under direct labour and local content engagement. The boreholes are today serving the people under people’s management.
We launched the rehabilitation of non-functioning urban water schemes in towns such as Osogbo, Iwo, Ede, Eko-Ende, and Esa-Oke. The upgrade interventions include the replacement of Old Asbestos Cement (AC) pipes with High-Density pipes. Across these locations, damaged pumps have been replaced, refining systems cleaned and upgraded. In communities where there had been no government water access for years, boreholes and mini water schemes are now being installed.
The Ora-Igbomina Water Scheme abandoned for 13 years has been re-awarded by our administration. The scheme has been revived to ensure regular clean water supply to residents of Ifedayo and Ila Local Government areas.
Imole Sports Sector Deliveries
Our administration crafted a sports sector development agenda on which we have delivered substantially. The remodelling of Osogbo City Stadium to a five star facility, is ongoing. We have established the Osun Sports Commission to provide focused leadership for sports management in Osun state. Additionally, we are establishing Osun State Sports Development Fund to provide dedicated adequate funding for the sector. Inclusive sporting policy is under implementation with para-sports now receiving adequate attention.