The Deputy Governor of Ekiti State and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Prof Kolapo Olusola, on Thursday, unveiled his agenda for the people of the state if elected during the July 14 election.
Olusola, who encapsulated the manifesto under the title; ‘SHIELD’, promised to expand the stomach infrastructure policy of the Governor Ayodele Fayose’s government and make it more functional than it is.
He promised to make a tremendous impact in the areas of security, social welfare and sustainable human capital development, healthcare delivery, infrastructure and industrial development, education, all-inclusive leadership and governance as well as the development of agriculture and tourism.
Addressing journalists in Ado Ekiti yesterday, the PDP candidate promised to partner with private investors to industrialize the state by providing enabling environment for private sector to partner the
state.
Under the security issue, Olusola said his administration would make Ekiti safe for residents to be able to attract investors, while also improving the social welfare for vulnerable groups and unemployed youths through effective empowerment and job creation.
He promised to upgrade the state comprehensive health centres across the 177 wards to cottage hospitals, to be able to deal with incidences of child and maternal mortality and render robust healthcare services to the masses.
“What we intend to do is to draft the consultants in Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital to these cottage hospitals to offer consultancy services once or twice a week. Our people must be healthy to be able to enjoy the dividends of democracy”, he said.
Olusola added that his government shall devote resources and commitments to the construction of inter and intra city roads, particularly those in the remote towns, while also improving on the urban renewal in Ado Ekiti and local government headquarters initiated by Fayose’s government.
“There is a need for Ekiti to attract industries to this state because most of our youths are not gainfully employed. The State alone can’t employ them and any economy that will achieve this must work with the private sector”.
He said the state will establish recreation centres in some selected local governments to serve as places of leisure that can develop the local economy and prevent rural-urban drift.
Olusola said his government will promote technical education by developing the three Technical Colleges across the State starting with the one in the capital city.
“I will start by introducing ICT in all our schools so that all the teachers can comply with the new trend in education. I believe teachers can stay in the office and communicate with students, this is very essential.
“During my time, the Technical Schools will not be vocational centres alone, it will be entrepreneurial and skills centres. We are also going to make technical education academic by upgrading the College of Education in Ikere Ekiti to a University of Education since the College has a better technical department that needs only upgrading.
“Our priority would be to change all the obsolete equipment in these schools and upgrade it to a modern one.
“Establishment of a new Polytechnic is not out of place, but they are being phased out now and time will come that they can only give certificates up to Ordinary National Diploma”.
He promised to develop agriculture and make it attractive to youths while the tourist centres like Ikogosi Warm Spring and Arinta Waterfall will be upgraded using the appropriate approaches for sustainable.
“Ikogosi warm spring could not survive because previous administrations used wrong approaches, but my government will not toe this line so that our state can make good IGR from this sector”, he stated.
