Ondo State has never had it so good. In its 45 odd years of existence, the Sunshine State has not experienced the prosperity that has suddenly overtaken her in the last two and a half years under the guidance of Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, a medical doctor whose passion for the progress of the people drove him into politics.It is not that the state has not had any governance in those two scores and five years of existence. As a matter of fact, it has had no less than 14 administrators, both military and civilian. But, like a great philosopher once said, it takes one man to make a change that can revolutionise the world. It takes one person to lead others to prosperity.Mimiko's struggles to claim the mandate given to him overwhelmingly by the people of Ondo State in 2007, the legal battles and the doggedness with which he fought the mandate looters were indications of his passion and determination to render quality service to the people. And in the last two and a half years, the governor has proved his mettle, not only as a leader and manager of men and resources, but also as a visionary leader. This can be seen in practically all sectors of the economy which have experienced a big boost.From education to agriculture, commerce and tourism, industry, health and sports, he has taken Ondo to the realm of world attention. In the education sector for example; with over 880 public primary schools and over 190 secondary schools across the 18 local government areas of the state, Ondo ranks among the states in the country with the highest number of public primary and secondary schools. So passionate is the governor on education that he established a Ministry of Adult, Technical & Vocational Education to take care of, not only children of school age but also men and women who are ready to improve themselves through vocational training or skill acquisition.There is consistent transformation in the education sector manifesting through renovation of old schools and construction of new ones. In Akure, the state capital alone, there are about 60 public schools built to internationally acceptable standards. And higher institutions of learning are located across the state to enable the products of the secondary schools pursue tertiary education. In the agriculture sector, the governor has created a window of job opportunities for young graduates. He established farm settlements in Ore, Odigbo LGA; Epe, Ondo East LGA and Anga, Akoko North East LGA where about 6,000 graduates are expanding the horizon of agriculture in the state. They come from all parts of Ondo and they live in hostels provided by the state government. The farming process is mechanised to meet international standards. Most of the graduates do not want to go back to white collar jobs. They wish to remain as farmers under the enablement of the Ondo government.Ipole-Iloro Water Falls, the Oke Maria at Oka-Akoko and the Aiyetoro Island have become tourist attractions, thanks to Mimiko's attention to a sector that is a huge foreign exchange earner for the state. In the industrial sector, the government has attracted both local and foreign investors to the Nigeria/Romania Wood Industries in Ondo, the Okitipupa Oil Palm Mill, Alpha Industries, Arigidi-Akoko, Cocoa Processing Factory, Ile-Oluji, Oluwa Glass Company, Igbokoda and the Premier Metal Industry, Ondo.However, it is in the area of health that the administration of Mimiko has made biggest impact. Perhaps because he is a medical doctor, he has accorded this sector the most priority. The governor introduced a home- grown policy- safe motherhood - to stem the tide of maternal and child mortality. Besides healthcare now brought close to the people through the establishment of general hospitals in almost all the local government areas of the state, the successfully articulated Mother and Child Hospital (MCH) initiative has put Ondo in international limelight.
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