A former Governorship aspirant under the platform of the Osun state Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the July 16th gubernatorial election in the state, Dr Akin Ogunbiyi on Tuesday formally declared his intention to run for the race under the Accord Party (AP) after being declared as the candidate of the party.
The party candidate who made the declaration at the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo, told the gathering party members at the occasion that, education needs to be strengthened in order to enable citizens to maximize their great potential and assured that his efforts in the area of education will, therefore, focus on the relevant areas which will include science, technology, creativity and innovation.
He said, “he possessed the quality and experience required to harness the vast state’s resources for productive and developmental purposes affirming that, if elected as the state governor, his administration shall “create a mega-investment outfit to attract national and international investors and will also give financial and technical support to small, medium and mega enterprises.
“Mineral resources shall be turned into high yielding finished products with the support of local, national and international strategic partners. I am an experienced farmer and practice technologically-enhanced farming. Osun State within the shortest period will be the food basket of Nigeria. Agro-allied industries shall be established in our smart Industrial Parks.
“Trade-based Cooperative Societies shall be established and well managed. Real Estate Development will be given the pride of place all over Osun State and not only in Osogbo. We will develop and ensure planned, clean and beneficially integrated city centres.
“We will definitely be on course, for productivity and growth, Our value-adding metrics will be on the rebound from the very first day of our tenure. Our youths and women will be the first line of attention in our government.
“We will provide them with opportunities to develop as entrepreneurs by leveraging on the abounding opportunities in Information Technology, batik making and other innovations.
“We can no longer behold our future generations waste away as a result of laissez-faire or unserious attitude to the very serious business of governance, unemployment and deliberate abandonment when we can put their talents and skills into productive use for the growth and development of our dear state. I have a game-changing profile as a well-tested entrepreneur that always achieves beneficial results.
“I believe in wealth creation, creating impact in a leveraged way. That is, earning very high returns and functioning at a high capacity when utilizing resources and facilities. Over the years, I have earned a well-deserved reputation for driving the talent life cycle diligently and to the desirable fruition.
“I will be the champion of progressive development, productive transformation, skill acquisition and drastically improved livelihood. I will build men, women and youths as well be a beacon of honour and integrity.
“My fellow citizens of Osun State, do not believe in the old and discredited playbook that your mind can be skewed and your actions determined by envelopes of money that is not from hard work and beneficial value-addition.
“We must be guided by democratic norms, and value-adding acts of dedication, not noise, lies, vainglory and empty promises. We will be deliberate and disciplined and encourage every citizen to take ownership of the Osun Development Project. We will all join hands, set the tone and achieve the urgently needed paradigm shift that will give birth to the Osun State of our dreams. A leading State in the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he added.
“Demagogues promise quick fixes for complex problems. They are constantly pushing back to prevent or stall beneficial progress in order to maintain the status quo. They want to continue to pocket power in order to keep their privileges.
“They are afraid of change and are, therefore, constantly fanning embers of unproductive disagreements, resentments and disunity. They distribute money in order to fracture rational thinking and carefully thought-through decisions.
“Definitely, we have unique and very useful skills in Osun State to enable us to develop and grow our economy and drastically improve our well-being. My colleagues and fellow citizens of Osun State, our assets are for productive growth and not for usage to satisfy the whims and caprices of self-serving interests,” he concluded.