Abiodun Awolaja presents some of the eulogies poured on Governor Olusegun Mimiko by eminent Nigerians and groups from within and outside Ondo State.AS Dr Olusegun Mimiko, Ondo State governor, declares his bid for a second term of office at the Democracy Park, Akure, today, he can count on a groundswell of goodwill. He will be speaking to a mammoth crowd, basking in the warmth of a populace won over by what has been described as his sterling, benchmark-setting performance in the Sunshine State. Below we present a few of the many encomiums showered on the governor by eminent stakeholders in the Nigerian project,Governor Peter Obi, Anambra State, speaking during the Zik Leadership awards in Abuja last year, said: 'Now things have changed, Iroko has changed everything and I am learning from him. Recently I brought my wife to Ondo State and I told her she should learn because there is so much to learn from Iroko in every area, is it agriculture or education where he has been winning awards every year' Leadership and learning cannot be separated.'Last November, at a ceremony, which took place at the highbrow Holiday Inn, Kessignton, London, which was attended by over 40 foreign ambassadors and members of the British parliament, Mimiko won the Best Governor of the Year Award, courtesy of Ben TV, based in the United Kingdom. The organisers said:'This committee traversed the length and breadth of Nigeria for three months, conducting empirical research and on-the-spot assessment of the state incognito and it found that Olusegun Mimko towers above the others. We found out that no state governor in Nigeria has approached the implementation of his election promises with great fervour and agrarian passion like Mimiko. In the education sector , no state governor in Nigeria has ever planted the kind of structure Mimiko constructed for the primary school in Nigeria. You will be amazed that these beautiful, child-friendly and academics- inducing structures are not only for the public, the common people, but that they will pay no fees.''Afenifere leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, said 'I can say Dr Olusegun Mimio has performed very well in community development, even in the beautification of Akure and in sustaining the industrial peace of the state.''The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ondo State is divided over the Mimiko question. A former member of the Senate, Bode Olajumoke, had insisted that the PDP should back Mimiko for the election.Former presidential aspirant, Chief Olu Falae, said 'He has brought quality to this state and created a volume of modernisation which makes the people feel that they are civilised people that should live in civilised conditions. Mimiko has done an excellent job within the last three years. I can speak for several people in this state that he has not disappointed us. He has set a high standard for himself and he cannot afford to fall below that standard and he will not fall by the grace of God.''Renowned cleric and Retired Anglican Bishop, Bishop Bolanle Gbonigi, speaking during the presentation of an Award of Excellence to the governor by the Sacred Cherubim and Seraphim Church of Nigeria, Ondo District Council, Ogo Oluwa Parish, Ondo town, as part of the activities marking the celebration of the Youth Fellowship of the church, said: 'Though I am not a politician, for years, I have been in Ondo State. Many governments have come and gone; I have witnessed many administrations, I have never seen any administration that has performed creditably like his. He brought new initiatives into governance. Look at the monthly vigil he introduced. All these contributed to his success as the best performing governor in Nigeria,' he said.Another eminent Nigerian and chieftain of the PDP, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, publicly endorsed Governor Mimiko's bid. Babatope, who spoke with journalists in Akure, the Ondo State capital, said 'Mimiko is working well in the state; I passed through Ondo on my way to Edo State recently and I saw the achievements of Mimiko. If I have my way, I will seek the permission of my party to vote for him.'The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) named Dr Mimiko 'Governor of the Year 2011. The union said Mimiko excelled in the area of public projects implementation. National President of the NUJ, Mohammed Garba, said Mimiko was selected on the basis of his transformational track records evident in Ondo State since he came into office. He said the NUJ was happy to see that a Governor of Mimiko's standing was helping to build the people's interest in democratic rule.Other eminent Nigerians who are backing Governor Mimiko's return for are Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN; former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr Aliyu Idi Hong, foremost industrialist, Chief Oba Otudeko and Emeritus Professor of Medicine, Olujimi Akinkugbe.The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) recently passed a vote of confidence on governor, for his unprecedented and exceptional good performance, following a five-day assessment tour of the three senatorial districts of Ondo State. It also named him 'Governor of the Year.'' The Dauda Muhammed-led NANS applauded what it called the revolutionary drive and life-transforming projects of Governor Mimiko's administration.The NANS mentioned the governor's giant strides in education, urbanisation, health care delivery, youth empowerment programmes, women empowerment and provision of adequate infrastructure, which is indispensable for the economic and socio-political development of the state. The NANS leadership lauded commitment to the provision of qualitative education to the children of the down trodden, which was displayed when the Ondo State government announced an increase in the bursary and scholarship awards to students of tertiary institutions.For her part, the state chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Comrade Bosede Daramola, lauded Governor Mimiko for the various unprecedented achievements in office. She said workers in the state had benefitted immensely from the Mimiko government in the areas of implementation of salary relativity and payment of N22, 000 minimum wage, which is the highest in the country, regular payment of salaries and promotion, appointment of both retired and serving labour leaders into political offices, elongation of secretariat assistant cadre from GL09 to GL14 and payment of 50 per cent basic salary as Christmas bonus for workers.She also mentioned the building of a world-class training institute, payment of weigh-in allowance for media workers, giving full recognition and re-organization to artisans and informal sector and release of N1.4 billion in 2009 to pay the retirement benefit of retired primary school teachers and local government workers among others.The state's NLC Chairperson Women wing, Comrade Itioola Olowosuko, said the workers had never had it so well, and surpassing the governor. 'Normally, workers are AGIP ('Any Government in Power)' but we are supporting Labour Party because it is the workers' party and our amiable governor takes care of workers welfare as his priority and he is a listening governor.'There are also royal endorsements. The Deji of Akure, Oba Adebiyi Adesida, said 'The governor lends a listening ear to advice from traditional rulers and other prominent indigenes of the state on issues which can move the state forward.The various developmental projects which he has embarked upon in this community and other parts of the state indeed speak volumes of his goodwill for the good people of Ondo State.''The Osemawe of Ondo, Oba Victor Kiladejo (Jilo II), said: 'Ondo State in the past three years under Dr Mimiko's administration has witnessed a revolution in virtually all the different sectors of the state's economy. By all empirical evidences, the state has witnessed transformation and development in the health, education, agriculture, infrastructural and industrial sectors. The administration's 12-point agenda has recorded a huge success. Its urban renewal and rural transformation projects through the 3Is programme have changed the faces of cities, towns and villages across the state.''The Olowo of Owo, Oba Victor Olateru-Olagbegi, said 'By my own assessment, Dr Olusegun Mimiko is doing well...Generally in the area of education, I think what speaks for itself is the recent performance of one of our pupils during this year's WAEC examination.''The Arapogun of Ipogun, Oba Raphael Ojo, said 'Dr Mimiko is a person I admire. He is the first governor that kept to his promise. I will openly campaign for him to help him win a second term.
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