Avoid second-term pitfalls, workers, others tell Abiodun

Dapo Abiodun, the governor of Ogun State, is poised to serve a second term after winning a difficult election contest. DAUD OLATUNJI writes about what the state’s citizens anticipate from the governor.

Many governors go “asleep” after being re-elected, and their second terms are not productive. In light of this, residents and professional organizations in Ogun State, who had previously noticed a slowdown in the activities of second-term governors, have counseled Governor Dapo Abiodun to avoid the mistakes of his forebears.

Stakeholders requested a number of things in separate interviews with The Spectator while the governor basked in the joy of his triumph.

Abiodun, an APC candidate who received 276,298 votes, was declared the victor of the state’s governorship election on March 19 by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Oladipupo Adebutu, a candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party who received 262,383 votes, was defeated by Abiodun to become the new governor.

As he basked in the joy of victory, Abiodun declared in his acceptance address that his re-election had demonstrated that authority belongs to God and that it was a vote of confidence in his government. For being re-elected, he expressed gratitude to the residents of the state.

Abiodun thanked the electorate for their support and pledged to see that a number of existing projects were completed as well as to avoid developing any area of the state at the detriment of others.

The state’s citizens, labor unions, and others started to present their wishes to the governor as he prepares to begin his second term less than 48 hours after he was named the governor-elect.

Ajani Sodiq, the immediate past president of the students’ union at Moshood Abiola Polytechnic in Abeokuta, urged the governor to pay particular attention to the state’s education system.

He said, “We need Governor Dapo Abiodun to pay close attention to the educational sector. For instance, lecturers at institutions make students victims of their unpaid salaries. They put students in tight conditions to reduce the hardships of their unpaid remuneration. Other factors to look out for are the school’s infrastructure and consistent supervision.”
The state chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Hamid Ademola, encouraged Abiodun to treat the workers very well when speaking about what they expected of the governor during his second term.

Ademola, who was just elected the chairman of the union, said, “The first assignment I will sincerely appeal to his Excellency to approach is to call a meeting of organised labour to reappraise the July 2022 memorandum of action.”

Abiodun must prioritize labor issues, according to Akeem Lasisi, chairman of the state’s Trade Union Congress.

The governor was counseled by Lasisi, a former leader of the state’s Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools, to steer clear of any conflicts with the labor unions.

He said, “I think the government should please give labour matters the priority and make them appear on the front burner as he is trying to embark on his second term now because those matters are capable of causing issues and situations.
“You could remember that we signed a Memorandum of Action in July last year. The government should look into this memorandum of Action and fulfil the promise it made such as the issue of payment of gratuities.
“The statement is very clear, if you look at the MOA, it deals with the payment of outstanding, eight-year leave allowance, deductions and gratuities. Government should increase the allocation for the payment of gratuities.”
Dr. Kunle Ashimi, state head of the Nigerian Medical Association, urged the governor to address healthcare issues during his second term.

He said, “In the face of japa (workers migration) syndrome, the government should give incentives for health workers, make the work environment conducive and provide good accommodation for workers in remote places.
“There should be regular in-house training and payment of the necessary peculiar allowances for health workers. Old equipment should be replaced and a maintenance culture should be entrenched.
“Current facilities should be upgraded and new ones built where the people are underserved. There has been a population increase and new areas opening up over the years. There should be a regular audit of the performance of each facility and its staff to be able to make adjustments as required in time.
“Government should incorporate private healthcare practitioners into the healthcare plan with assigned roles and targets. It should also encourage public-private sector partnerships with existing practitioners in the state. It should ensure an effective procurement process for drugs, laboratory reagents and hospital consumables for efficient service delivery.”
Ms. Bukunmi Oladele, a soft drink trader, asked the governor to increase his investments in agriculture.
She said, “People often complain about the high prices of goods in the market. They say that traders are extorting them, but they fail to realize that the root cause lies in how much we purchase the products from farmers.
“If the governor prioritizes investment in agriculture and provides support or loans to farmers, it will bring down the prices of goods in the market. Therefore, I appeal to the governor to intervene in the agricultural sector, so that everything can be normalized.”
Olamilekan Taiwo, a state citizen, stated that the infrastructure and educational projects require a lot of revision and that all he asked of the governor was to empower and employ the youth.
He said, “I just want him to do more on infrastructural and educational projects in the state. He needs to balance the equation in the senatorial district of the state by engaging products around the three. Also, youths need to be empowered and employed.”
Ogungbayi Abdullateef, a member of the National Youth Service Corps, also bemoaned the state’s economic potential while stating that he would welcome it if the governor could make the necessary changes.
“I will like him to improve on unlocking the economic potential of the state and empowering the youths,” the corps member stated
Fasilat Adigun, a trader who sells jewelry in Lafenwa, Abeokuta, bemoaned having to sell by the side of the road since there was not enough room for her sales. She begs the governor to create a location where vendors can advertise their sales as a result.
She said, “I would like him to help us, traders, to provide adequate space in which we can stay to avoid displaying our sales on the roadside.”.
Also, a merchant named Mariam Olopade claimed that Abeokuta’s company owners, particularly those running small and medium-sized firms, face greater difficulties than those in neighboring states.

But she pleaded with the governor to give business owners reliable electricity.
She said, “It’s within the capacity of our governor to provide stable electricity. The amount spent on fuel affects a lot of income.”

The government should invest more in agriculture and encourage state farmers, according to a food vendor who goes by the name Oyindamola in Abeokuta’s Oloke axis.
“This way, life would be easier for residents in the state when there’s enough food”, she said.
The governor was recommended to address the lack of infrastructure in the areas between the state and Lagos by the citizens of those communities.

They claimed that in addition to completing the tasks started by his predecessor, he should build roads in Sango-Ota.
“The governor was defeated in his local government. The bulk of his votes came from Ado-Odo/Ota, Obafemi-Owode and Odeda, he should remember these areas,” Alhaji Abbas Adewale, a resident of Ibafo, said.
Several locals recalled that Otunba Gbenga Daniel and Senator Ibikunle Amosun’s first mandates—predecessors—were Abiodun’s busier than their second terms.
Adewale said, “There were many uncompleted projects when Amosun was leaving office in 2015, but he was active in the first term.”