Senator Buruji Kashamu is the Ogun PDP Governorship Candidate. He is running with Dr. Reuben Abati. A few weeks back he revealed what he plans to do for Ogun State people if elected as Governor. Below are his policies.
•GOVERNANCE
The bedrock of good governance is
It is our intention to run an inclusive government, a government which every citizen of the state can confidently own.
Therefore, our administration would not ignore any part of the state, neither shall we overlook any citizen of the state. We shall create opportunities for regular interaction with the people of the state. We shall run an administration which would ensure that no one needs to know anyone in government before getting their due.
For us, it shall be the people first at all times. We promise to deploy the state’s resources in a manner that would promote sustainable growth and development.
Nobody would be kept in the dark concerning the management of the state’s resources as we intend to run an e-government where everyone will have access to information about state affairs. We will also run a very responsive government where all issues concerning citizens of the state will receive prompt attention.
•EDUCATION
For
Primary and Secondary Education Education has, for ages, been the pride of the people of Ogun State with the state being one of the most highly rated in the country with respect to the provision of educational services.
But in recent times, due to a combination of factors, the quality and standard of education have gone downhill. According to the West African Examination Council (WAEC) ranking, Ogun State was placed 14th in 2014, 20th in 2015, 19th in 2017, and 19th in 2018.
This should not and will not continue under our administration. We shall make Ogun State the envy of other states by providing a conducive environment for students to learn. We will motivate the teachers to give their best and cooperate with parents to monitor their wards.
We shall put in place a mechanism that will monitor and measure the school system to ensure that it delivers on our agreed terms. Beyond being the right of a child, education is an investment in the future of the state.
It is only well educated citizens that can contribute meaningfully to the state’s development. We intend to see that every child has access to qualitative and transformative education.
For us, education will not be for its sake, neither will it be for politics, but it shall be for the improvement of life, the emancipation of the mind and the promotion of innovation. To ensure that every child has access to education in Ogun State, we shall provide free and compulsory education from primary school to Junior Secondary School.
To ensure that every child has access to education in Ogun State, we shall implement free and compulsory education from primary school to Junior Secondary School. To make room for healthy competition, we shall put in place instruments to regularly measure the performances of our schools and those that excel will be recognized and rewarded appropriately. Specifically, our administration will ensure:
• Massive renovation of existing school infrastructure to create a conducive environment for learning; and • Training and retraining of teachers in modern techniques and rncthodologics to improve their capacity to deliver on their core mandate of producing leaders of tomorrow.
TECHNICAL Education
There is a dearth of skilled technicians, not just in Ogun State, but in the country as a whole. To bridge this gap, our administration will promote technical education.
The technical schools will be adequately equipped and the environment improved to increase their appeal to prospective students. After the Junior Secondary School Examination, studentswhose abilities tilt towards technical education will be encouraged to enroll in one of the technical colleges. Artisans who are already practising will be encouraged to take short courses to improve their skills.
Tertiary Education Ogun State is blessed with many tertiary institutions. We will leverage on these to make the state a hub for manpower development in the country.
Times are changing, new technologies are being developed, and the future of work is also changing. We will support our tertiary institutions and equip them to ensure that their products can adapt and excel in an advanced, technology-driven and competitive labour market.
We will provide support for the acquisition of knowledge and capacity in emerging new areas in the fields of education and knowledge production. Our goal is to produce employable graduates with marketable skills.
Our administration will give autonomy to our universities (Olabisi Onabanjo University and Tai Solarin University of Education) and minimize government interference in the administration of the institutions. We shall promote healthy relationship with the institutions and emplace an environment that will promote teaching, research and community service.
Regular town and gown engagements will be encouraged. Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta and Abraham Adesanya Polytechnic, Ijebu Igbo will be wholly supported, funded and equipped to make their products among the best in the country.
The specialized polytechnics will also be adequately equipped to deliver on their mandate. The College of Health Technology, Ilese, will be strengthened and properly funded to meet the aspiration of the citizens. Tai Solarin College of Education will be tailored towards bridging the manpower gap in the state’s primary education system.
The school will be adequately funded and equipped. The schools of nursing will be adequately funded and properly equipped to prepare the students for the great task of keeping our citizens healthy. Our administration will provide bursary for all tertiary students.
We shall also put in place scholarship schemes for outstanding and indigent students.
Collaboration with education service providers Our administration shall cooperate and collaborate with private providers of educational services with a view to increasing access to quality education.
We shall also ensure proper regulation of the private schools. The sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, said, “As far as possible, expenditure on services which tend to the welfare and health and education of the people should be increased at the expense of any expenditure that does not answer to the same test.” This shall be our guiding philosophy.
•HEALTH
It is only when the people are healthy that they can contribute optimally to the development of their state. The task of “Taking Ogun State to Greater Heights” is for every citizen of the state. With regard to healthcare, we will focus on the following:
Preventive Healthcare We plan to rejuvenate the sanitary inspection service department by empowering sanitation officers to ensure due diligence and strict compliance to best health practices to keep our people free of infirmities.
This is based on the firm realization that many diseases in Nigeria that claim lives are preventable. Avoidable deaths need not continue to pose a threat to the country’s human resource. We will invest in massive public enlightenment and re-orientation.
Primary Health Care Our administration will strengthen primary health care centers through the rehabilitation of existing and abandoned centres particularly in the rural areas, appropriate staffing and provision of required infrastructure.
Secondary Health Care The general hospitals will be adequately funded, equipped and staffed to provide excellent health services to all citizens. We will ensure that our hospitals are functional and up to date in healthcare delivery.
Specialist Hospitals Seeing the difficulty our people experience to have access to specialist care for medical needs, our administration will build a specialist hospital in each of the three senatorial districts in the state. The specialist hospitals, which will be equipped with state of the art facilities, will complement the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital which will also be adequately funded and well-equipped to satisfy the health needs of our people.
Reducing Maternal and Infant Mortality No effort will be spared to reduce to the barest rrurumum incidences of maternal and infant mortality. Every pregnant woman will be encouraged to register for antenatal care and the appropriate follow-up will be done to ensure safe delivery of the pregnancy and safety of the mother. Our goal is to ensure that nobody needs to travel more than five kilometers to access quality health care services.
Private Medical Practice Our administration will properly regulate private health providers to ensure compliance with best practices. We shall also cooperate and collaborate with them to increase access to healthcare.
•MSMES PROMOTION
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises are the bedrock of a strong economy. When MSMEs are allowed to flourish the economy prospers because of the huge capacity of MSMEs to employ a large number of people. In our State, about 30 per cent of the residents are involved in one form of MSME or the other.
As a policy, our administration will encourage MSMEs and will put in place the machinery to ensure the growth of MSMEs. The major challenge encountered by MSMEs is poor access to financing. As a way of correcting this, our administration will facilitate low-interest loans for MSMEs with Microfinance Institutions.
This will enable them to fully utilize their potentiality, increase their productivity and position them to employ more people. One other challenge of MSMEs is poor managerial skills. Due to the importance of this group of entrepreneurs, our administration will provide training opportunities for them so that they will be able to better manage their resources as well as the opportunities in their fields of operation.
Our administration will also regularly support MSMEs by creating marketing opportunities for them through the organization of fairs and exhibitions which will link them with prospects for their products. As a policy, we shall monitor the progress of the MSMEs and reward those that uphold the highest standards to stimulate healthy competition among them.
•AGRICULTURE
Our intervention in Agriculture shall be to achieve food security, job creation, and business opportunities. To achieve these, the farm settlements in different parts of the state will be fully revitalized and utilized.
The facilities on these settlements will be improved to motivate young farmers to take up residence in the settlements and give their best to farming.
Young people will be encouraged to take up agriculture as a profession while necessary support that will largely eliminate the tedium associated with agricultural work will be provided. Farmers will regularly be supplied with seedlings and agricultural implements that will increase their capacity.
Farmers will be supported by the administration through the facilitation of low-interest loans from the Bank of Agriculture. Small scale farmers will be encouraged to form cooperative groups with a view to increasing their access to credits.
The administration will take advantage of opportunities at the federal and intemationallevels to improve on farming which is the occupation of about 40 per cent of our population. Storage facilities will be provided in various farming communities across the state to store farm produce and keep them from decaying. Cash crop farmers will be supported to increase their capacity.
The essence of this is to produce both for local consumption and export. This will, in the long run, boost the revenue of the state. In specific terms, our administration shall ensure the following: • Revamping the farm settlement scheme initiated in the old Western Region by the sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo • Encourage and support young people to take to agriculture as a business (Agribusiness) through farm extension programmes, provision of farm equipment, implements, seedlings, supplements at subsidized rates for those who can afford to buy or reduced rate for those who want to hire or lease • Agricultural extension training officers to be employed, trained and equipped to offer extension services to young farmers • Creating crop-based farm clusters to ensure ease of management and thus promote economies of scale • Encourage agricultural co-operatives, linkages with agricultural friendly financial institutions and strong support to agric co-operatives to create access and secure single digit interest loans for improved agricultural production • Creating storage facilities (Silos) in farming communities, involve in bulk purchase, add value and prevent wastage during high yield season • Create enabling environment for export (particularly of cash crops like cocoa) through export training/seminars to farmers and linkages with institutions like SMEDAN and foreign buyers of agricultural products • Create and regularly maintain access roads to farming communities; provide basic amenities like water, primary health care facilities and primary education facility for children of farmers.
•INDUSTRIALISATION
Our administration shall make the most of our proximity to Lagos to promote industrialization in the state. Deliberate steps shall be taken to improve on the facilities in Ota, Agbara and Sagamu axis to make the areas more attractive to industries.
Deliberate steps shall be taken to resuscitate the Olokola Free Trade Zone and attract investors in Oil and Gas to the zone. All hindrances to setting up companies in the state shall be eliminated. Our administration shall make land acquisition for business purposes stress free.
We shall put in place a structure that would facilitate doing business with ease. We shall also ensure an investment-friendly tax system. In areas where there are clusters of companies, the administration will facilitate independent power projects for the use of such companies.
The tourism potential of the state would be explored for the benefit of all citizens. All the tourist sites in the state would be developed and marketed to boost commercial activities in the state and boost revenue. We shall take steps to organize national and international tourism events to improve the state’s profile and revenue.
The abandoned cargo airport in Ilishan will be revived. The administration will midwife regular interface between companies and host communities with a view to nipping in the bud any threat to the businesses operating in the state.
•INFRASTRUCTURE(1) ROADS
We promise to build more roads and sustain this momentun first by reintroducing a robust maintenance culture; spread road infrastructure to all parts of the state, give prominent attention to our rural roads to forestall rural-urban migration, promote agricultural activities and enhance free and lawful movements on our roads.
We shall partner and collaborate fully with Fededral Government to enhance our capacity to deliver in this regard and also support and re-jig the local government to carry out rural and farm roads maintenance through routine grading on a sustainable basis. Our proactive measures in this area will be achieved with focus on: • Active and effective ministry of works and infrastructure • Sustainable collaboration and partnership with Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing • Strengthening of the maintenance agency of the state – Ogroma to deliver on its mandate • Exploring Public Private Partnership (PPP) where necessary to develop major road infrastructure in the overall interest of the state and our people • Support local governments to ensure regular grading of rural and farm roads.
(2) POWER
Even at creation, God said “let there be light”. Our administration in total agreement with this supreme injunction will explore as quickly as possible, areas of collaboration with Independent Power Producers (IPP) from any part of the world to invest in the sector particularly in the industrial cluster areas of the state like Agbara, Ota, Sagamu and thus free more power from these areas to residential and mini-industrial zones of the state.
This will improve availability of power and propel micro and macro-economic activities and industrialisation leading to wealth creation, revenue generation, poverty alleviation, security, peace and stability in the state.
(3) RURAL ELECTRIFICATION
No effect will be spared to connect areas that are yet to enjoy electricity to the national grid. Rural electrification will be a major focus of our administration. We shall also deploy alternative energy sources for the benefits of communities that have been deprived of access to the national grid.
(4) HOUSING
Low cost housing shall be promoted by our administration. There will be low cost housing projects in each of the three senatorial districts.
(5) POTABLE WATER
The water problem which is a major concern of many towns and villages in Ogun State shall be frontally tackled by our administration with a view to putting in place a permanent solution to the problem.
•TRADITIONAL INSTITUTIONS
The traditional institutions will be accorded the respect they deserve. Our royal fathers will continue to be held in high esteem. Our administration will work closely with the royal fathers to ensure peaceful co-existence among citizens of the state. Our administration will support culture and promote festivals across the states. The administration will support all communities.
•SECURITY
Lack of continuity in most African states creates security issues. Mismanagement of financial, human and natural resources could lead to insecurity. When flood and other natural disasters hit our farmlands, the result could be food insecurity.
These socio-economic dislocations have manifested in various crimes and violent acts such as ritual killings, kidnapping, armed robbery, destruction of government properties, among others.
These activities result in low income for government, with adverse effects on the gross domestic product growth rate, low participation of local and foreign investors in economic development and insecurity of lives and properties to the citizens.If you give us your mandate, we would initiate an all-encompassing Security Scheme that will not just enhance our internal security but general safety – in resource management, food and job security, among others.
We will improve the state security architecture to guarantee the safety of life and property. Our administration will cooperate with and support the Nigeria Police to ensure adequate security for all. The Vigilante Service of Ogun will be properly structured and adequately funded to make it better in protecting life and property.
•women, youth empowerment & job creationWomen and youth account for 69.34 percent of the state’s population. While Ogun women have made remarkable impact in both private and public endeavours, they are not immune to challenges of poverty, and discrimination.
For instance, the United Nations (UN) says 19 percent of women and girls aged 15 to 49, have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner within the last 12 months. Yet, 49 countries have no laws that specifically protect women from such violence.
Besides, women are not given their pride of place in decision-making whether at the family level or in government. Similarly, the youth which constitute the most productive resource any forward-looking state could have are more often than not marginalized or relegated to the background, if not totally excluded from governance and developmental programmes. Yet, the youth have important roles to play in the development of societies and Ogun State is not an exception.
That is why we are committed to women and youth development and empowerment so that they can contribute to the development of Ogun State and Nigeria in general. In the First Republic and during the first phase of military rule, young people played active roles in the governance of Nigeria. Alhaji Shehu Shagari and Alhaji Ibrahim Waziri became Ministers in their 20s. Matthew Mbu became an ambassador in his early 20s.
Col. Yakubu Gowon (as he then was) became Head of State at the age of 28. General Olusegun Obasanjo became a Head of State in his 30s. We plan to create platforms to empower our women and youth to build capacity and become self-reliant and productive.
Through our policies on industrialization, agriculture and MSMEs, youths shall be encouraged to acquire marketable skills which would enable them to attain financial independence.
To this end, skill acquisition training programmes will be organized in each local government regularly and participants would be provided with seed capital to set up their own businesses. Our administration will support the establishment of cottage industries across the state as a way of creating employment opportunities for our teeming youths.
•ARTISANS/TRADERS/TRANSPORTERS
Support will be provided for artisans, traders and transporters to boost their trade. They will be encouraged to form cooperatives through which government will facilitate low-interest loans to enhance their enterprise.
•THE CIVIL SERVICE
We plan to run a very effective civil service that will optimize the state’s resources for the benefit of the citizenry. Civil servants will be made to undertake
•SPORTS DEVELOPMENT
All our sporting facilities with be revitalized to encourage sporting activities among our youths. Young people with endowment in the areas of sports would be encouraged and supported. We will work towards hosting national and international sporting events to deepen the skills and exposure of Ogun State athletes.
