By Gloria Ikibah
As the Ondo State Governorship election gathers momentum, about 25 aspirants have shown interest to contesting in the governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which is expected to take place in April 2024.
One of the aspirant who as his is the right man for the job is Hon. Mayowa Akinfolarin, a former two-term member of the House of Representatives who represented Ile-Oluji Okeigbo/Odigbo Federal Constituency of Ondo State from 2015 and 2023.
Akinfolarin during the declaration of his intention to contest for the forthcoming governorship election in Ondo on the platform of the APC, said the state needed someone who would bridge the gap between the government and the people.
This he said is based on his antecedents and precedents set in previous positions held in the State and at the National level as well as a well articulated mission to move the sunshine state to another pedestal of development and transformation.
He said: “Ondo state is full of potential, human and material alike. It is one of the most prosperous states in this country because we have so many things that can make us to be great.
“Ondo State is where 70 per cent population are totally engaged in farming. But nobody is paying serious attention to that, all what we are doing is to bring projects that will bring money for us, we must start paying attention to the informal sector where we have the majority of our people.
“Although we have so many people on the ground my own case is different. If you look at the state of affairs in the state, you will all agree with me that Ondo State needs to be reconfigured, we need to reconfigure the developmental structure of this state. Because there seems to be some gaps between government and the people in recent times.
“I’m properly rooted in this state, so I know what it takes to govern the Ondo state and with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, some of us think that we need to come together to move this state forward.
“Based on my experience and antecedent, I have really navigated both the economic and political terrain of Ondo State, I know what governance is, and I know what can be done to give succor and hope to our people.
“People no longer have confidence in what the government is doing, we need someone to energise the system, we need someone to give assurance, we need someone to let us know that this government is our government”.
The aspirant who is no doubt, a grassroots politician believes he has the political map of Ondo State on his palm and one of the very few politicians in Ondo State that can visit any political ward across the state and mention not less than 10 names of recognized politicians in each of the wards.
While in the Green Chamber, Hon. Akinfolarin served as the Chairman, House Committee on Federal Road Safety Commission and it is on record that he came up with lots of novel initiatives that eventually saw to the transformation and elevation of road administration and safety management in Nigeria to a level of international standards.
Also during his sojourn in the National Assembly, the former lawmaker demonstrated his passion for the development of Nigerian youths and women through sponsorship of the National Youth Service Corps Trust Fund Bill. The very Bill was to provide regular start-off funds for Nigerian graduates that have undertaken the mandatory one year NYSC programme and equally have flare for entrepreneurial ventures.
Akinfolarin equally left and indelible mark when he served as a two-term Deputy Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly during which he chaired the Cash Allocation Committee and this provided him the opportunity to prove his financial acumen as well as his utter commitment to prudence in financial management. It was at the same time that he also shouldered the responsibilities of Needs Assessment of the House, Budgetary Policy Formulation and overseeing the Millenium and overseeing the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) activities, which were aimed at improving the welfare of children and women.
He replicated the same thing when he served as a board member of Nigerian National Library. His efforts culminated in the construction of a modern National Library headquarters in Abuja. Thereafter the governorship hopeful, served as a member of the Upper Niger River Basin Authority where his also stamp his seal of hard work and dedication and selfless service.
These positions Akinfolarin believes has equipped him for the office of Governor and he left no one in doubt during his declaration to run for the coveted seat, insisting that the state needed to be reconfigured.