Though, reason later prevailed due to political and ethnic pressures, would the establishment and or conversion of MAOPOLY to MAUTECH in Abeokuta not resulted into same crisis for incoming government of Prince Dapo Abiodun?
At the inauguration of the Ogun Polytechnic board, Governor Amosun said that its establishment was meant to spread developments to all parts of the state. Ipokia, a semi urban town in Ogun West Senatorial District was designated as the permanent site of the Ogun State Polytechnic when the former old site was converted to a university in 2017 by an act of the Ogun State House of Assembly.
SECURITY:
It is on record that in the last eight years, most residents of the Gateway state have had to go to sleep with both eyes closed as the government was able to revise the terrible security situation during the government that preceded it. Impressed by it’s support, the Nigeria Police statistics according to Balogun, a media aide, also declared the state the safest in Nigeria, said “from being one of the states known for its notoriety in armed robbery, kidnapping, ritual killings and cult-related killings, Ogun State has been largely transformed into a peaceful state where citizens safety and protection of business facilities are great priorities of government.”
True to his words banks in Sagamu, Ijebu Ode and other parts of the state that are often forced to close shops before normal closing time and some been relocated to the state capital, due to serial invasions by armed robbers, cases of ritual killings and gang wars by rival unions are also almost a thing of the past in Ogun State.
Infrastructure:
It will be an understatement to say that the provision of infrastructure in the state would make residents in the major cities, especially Abeokuta, the state capital not to forget the administration in a hurry. It will also be an understatement to say that the state capital emerged from being a glorified village into a modern city with full complements of amenities befitting its status.
Indeed, residents of Abeokuta, the state capital, known for holding fast to their traditional homestead more than any other town, felt the positive and negative impact of Governor Amosuns rebuilding mission. Many family houses and compound were lost to the rebuilding efforts. Even compound grave- yards and other cultural sites were not spared the effect of the buildozer. All in a bid to modernise the ancient town for it to wear the 21st century look.
As part of the urban renewal project, the governor started from his homestead where he constructed the Ibara-Totoro road as the first among the Seven bridges and overheads he constructed in the state capital. He constructed 13, other bridges and flyovers in the other two senatorial districts in the state. But in spite of this gargantuan modernisation strides , Lamidi Alebiosu, a resident and indigene of the city founded under the protection of Olumo Rock in 1830, believes that Abeokuta is more of a beautiful city now inhabited by hungry people who daily gaze at the bridges and flyovers with empty stomachs. As for him, the state capital, though, wears a new look, it is peopled by hungry residents among whom are jobless youths who daily roam about wondering whether the landscape would return their mothers demolished stalls and compounds, which made homecoming more Herculean to indigenes who have lost their compounds to road expansion and modernisation.
On their part, the hitherto contented civil servants and public school teachers who managed to procure loans from Cooperative Societies, now have their hopes dashed as 20 months of such deductions remain unpaid even with the governor promising on May 1st, Workers Day, to redeem such before he leaves by May ending don’t blame them, they’ve heard such promises in the past.But theiutgiing government pull a fast one by paying 18months out of the sum penultimate week while pensioners may have to renegotiate with the new Governor to put smiles on their faces too.
In all, his road construction strides, which were more remarkable for the bridges and flyovers, easily made him embarked upon the most ambitious of such projects in the 43 years history of the state. He is better known as the governor with the tall cap with his numerous bridges some of which ironically begged vehicles to ply them except the Ita- Eko/Sokori overhead and the flyover at Mobalufon junction in Ijebu Ode, which truly is a great relief for hundreds of Ijebu citizens.
Many of them have lost their lives trying to cross over the ever busy Benin-Sagamu Expressway.
It is instructive to note that many of this bridges and flyovers by which the administration is known more than any other project, which impacted the citizens’ lives are still under one stage of construction or the other.
With their sheer size, the Kuto junction flyover, Okesaje Mokola flyover, Agbado, Abule Ekun and Akute junction axis are still facing one level of abandonment few weeks to the end of the regime.
In actual fact, the over 10 bridges and flyovers in different stages of completion have almost become a white elephant project to the residents of the areas who complained loudly whether money spent on the now abandoned bridges and flyovers should not have been spent on constructing the rather too wide six- lanes roads which he dubbed-Ogun standard roads.
Even, if the state’s money are directed at completing the over 20 flyover and roads, it is doubtful whether they can be completed in two tenures of four years each.
In the area of road construction, walk bridges which only serve to replicate the Lagos Berger example also became a common sight in Abeokuta the state capital. The Panseke walk bridge now completed could hardly serve the citizens for its clumsiness and length which attracted all passersby not for its usage but for its unusual length and eye popping presence in the Ibara axis of the state capital.
But residents of Ota, Alagbole and Akute axis with the on going six lane road under construction in the area with five bridges and flyovers bore the pains and anguish of the modernisation than other parts of the state. The 35 kilometre six-lane stretch is about the most ambitious project of the government with only two of the five bridges/flyovers completed. Thus residents of Ijoko and Alagbole can heave a sign of relief but not so for Agbado, Abule Ekun and Akute axis that felt the pains and anguish more coupled with their terrible link roads. For these areas,the rains of the past few weeks have brought pain,anguish and sorrow as deep as the extent of the rains. A thirty minuted journey now took three hours to navigate the deplorable roads in the axis which makes Ifo local government which they belong the most densely populated in the state.
Political Development:
While Ogun State undoubtedly experienced gargantuan and over ambitious infrastructural projects, big enough to occupy the in coming governor, it is doubtful whether he won’t rupture the delicate political environment bequeathed by his predecessor who he claimed was his friend of 25 years.
The intra party struggle in the ruling APC in Ogun State produce a novel situation where governor Amosun, introduced a new dimension by holding the party senatorial ticket but asking his followers in the APC to jump ship to the opposition, Allied Peoples Movement (APM) to realize their ambition and also help him install Honourable Abiodun Akinlade, his surrogate as governor. This is clearly anti party move against his party on which platform he won election and on which platform he contested for election and won the Senate seat.
For seeking to destroy the APC house he built because the former refused to let him install his surrogate in office, Governor Amosun, disrupted the state’s political cohesion even after disgracing the sitting president who paid a visit to the state last February to present the party’s gubernatorial candidate and sell himself.This attitude may not be unconnected with the Presidents refusal to grace the commissioning of dome uncompleted ‘legacy’ projects last week end in the dying days of the administration.
Governor Amosun unwittingly showed the other unknown side of Ogun people by getting his supporters to throw stones and hurled missiles at President Muhammad Buhari, who never received such disgrace even in opposition states anywhere in the country.
The last minute strange appointments of eight permanent secretaries in the state civil service witnessed a disruption of decades old service rules while promotion and appointment of 75 traditional rulers cross the state few weeks to the end of his rule did more harm to his rather eventful eight years rule, which for its temporal shortcomings, would have remained for its giant strides in development.
As for the new monarch s,they have to struggle for acceptance and credibility among their new subjects mist if whom have been more than divided over issue of territorial and ancestral acceptance.
