Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, on Thursday Inaugurated the State Joint Planning Council.
The primary responsibility of the council headed by the Governor is to produce a comprehensive Long Term Development Plan for the state.
Speaking at the event held at the Cocoa Conference Center of the Governor’s Office, Alagbaka, Akure, Governor Akeredolu noted that his administration did not meet any Development Plan on assumption of office in 2017.
The Governor said the achievements of the administration in the last four years have largely been driven by the JMPPR agenda of his first term.
He announced the plan of his administration to unveil an Open Government Policy where a dedicated line will be given to members of the public to reach him on matters of public importance.
Governor Akeredolu advised the people of the state to make good use of the opportunity by engaging in constructive criticism that can help the government.
The Governor also disclosed that his administration will soon set up a Project and Performance Implementation Monitoring Unit (PPIMU), saying all ongoing projects in the state will be completed before embarking on new ones.
“Our government has zero tolerance for uncompleted projects. The era of project abandonment is already gone in our State. The mantra of continuity has always been the focus of our administration and we will not deviate from it throughout the life span of our administration,” he stated.
Arakunrin Akeredolu said his administration has assented to a number of bills into Law, out of which is the 2017 Fiscal Responsibility Law (FRL) which gave rise to the establishment of the planning council.
He recalled that on assumption of office, he assured the good people of the State that his administration would provide the right leadership and sound governance as well as promote accountability, transparency and openness in every government business process.
Governor Akeredolu explained that the precarious social, economic and political conditions of the country have really disrupted his administration Development Action Plan and lofty programmes.
According to him, the meagre accruable resources that are supposed to be utilised to fund critical infrastructural projects are being diverted to address the prevalent crises of insecurity and COVID-19 Pandemic.
He said: “In spite of all of these, we have remained undeterred and resolute in our commitment to leave a lasting legacy for our State by setting the stage for the preparation of a Long Term Development Plan that will catapult our economy to an enviable height and make Ondo State a developmental reference point and cynosure of all eyes in Africa and beyond.
“The task ahead of us in the next couple of months is herculean. However, with our doggedness, painstakingness and team spirit, we will surmount the hurdle and posterity will reward every one of us for our contributions to making the State a better place.
“In crafting this Development Plan, I expect the Council to think through the REEDEMED Agenda and ensure proper alignment of the Plan with it as well as other relevant national and international development commitments.
“This second lap of our administration will be very decisive and our performance will be benchmarked on how much we are able to deliver on the State Development REEDEMED Agenda.”
He thanked the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as well as other Development Partners for providing various levels of support to the State towards crafting the Development Plan.
Earlier, the Senior Special Assistant to the President, represented by Prof. Bala Yusuf, assured Governor Akeredolu that the federal government will continue to support the REDEEMED agenda of his administration.
The State of Osun commissioner for Economy Planning and Budget, Prof. Yinusa Olalekan, led a delegation from the state to the event.
Members of the state House of Assembly led by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Bamidele Oleyelogun; the Chief Judge of the State, Hon. justice, Olutoyin Akeredolu; and other dignitaries including members of the state executive council were present at the event.
