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How E-governance Is Helping Us Transform Oyo – Makinde

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Your Hero Led Substandard Governance in Oyo, Makinde's Aide Tells Ajimobi Group .

Oyo State Governor ‘Seyi Makinde has revealed that the introduction of e-governance to the running of government in the state has contributed immensely to the on-going massive development and transformation in the state.

The governor stated this while addressing the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN’s) 50th Annual Accountants Conference in Abuja, with the theme: ‘Achieving Sustainable Leadership Through E-government in the 4th Industrial Revolution.”

He stated that the openness and transparency engendered by the introduction of e-governance initiative had helped the government to fund infrastructure and ensure smooth and full payments of salaries and pensions as and when due, stating that his government had been able to block leakages and save massive resources.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, indicated that the governor equally said that for the country to experience sustainable development and not to be left behind in the fourth industrial revolution, it would need focused leadership, which would be able to harness its potential to “pick up and catch up with the rest of the world.”

The governor stated that upon the realisation that the state has limited resources for all the things that needed to be done and that there were many loopholes through which resources were siphoned, he quickly took action to block those leakages by creating an e-governance plan.

He noted that the plan entailed digitising all government processes and services in order to raise the coverage and quality of information and services that are provided to the general public, stating, however, that a lot of people misunderstood that period of laying a solid foundation for development and tagged him an audio governor.

According to the governor, the introduction of the e-governance initiatives across different sectors including budgeting, contracting, public procurement, job recruitment, land and housing, among others, has now paid off for the state, as, according to him, apart from saving huge resources which are now being channeled to development, it has also made governance more efficient.

“You may wonder, what has been the result of our installing e-governance processes? In what way has e-governance benefited the people of Oyo State? Massive savings. Let me share one example. When we came in, we got consultants to look into the processes in our tertiary institutions and make things more transparent. We created a database of all staff and did identity management for them.

READ ALSO: Life Expectancy In Poor Countries 16 Years Lower Than In Rich Nations – WHO

“We also put the prices of all items that a university needs for day to day running in a database. And so, when a requisition is made, the price has to tally with that in the database. In just one school, The Polytechnic Ibadan, we got a savings of 1 Billion Naira by following this process.

“When people ask, where is the Oyo State government getting money to pay salaries when other states are struggling to pay percentages? Is he borrowing money to fund recurrent expenditure? the answer lies in openness and transparency with which we have approached leadership and governance. Especially with the use of technology.

“I have heard people say that Oyo State has been turned into a massive construction site. We are building a state that everyone should be proud of. And technology is playing a huge role in our work.

“We know that the foundation is very important. When the pioneers of the first industrial revolution started work in the 1750s, they could not have imagined how their work would be built on. 270 years down the line we are talking about a fourth revolution. This is what focused governance entails. Looking beyond one’s tenure in government.

“What I have learnt so far in Oyo State is that e-governance is possible. The transparency and openness it offers is desirable. But there are challenges. Aside from the initial cost of building the infrastructure which might appear restrictive if a leader is not looking at the bigger picture, there is also the loss of political capital that comes with it. And I must say, the latter is a bigger reason why governance in Nigeria has remained in an analogue state.

“Recently, Oyo State has been in the news. The perception that has been created in some circles is that the state is insecure. Some people have even gone to town with claims of cannibalism. But when you dig deeper, you will find that sponsors of these messages are people who no longer have access to the state’s coffers. They are people who believe that it will be business as usual. These days you see them gathering to talk about how their political age confers on them some superior level of thinking or how they will be taking over in 2023.”

The governor admonished that for individuals thinking of making changes in governance in the country, they must be ready to embrace transparency and openness, saying: “So, for any of you here thinking of making changes in governance in the next few years, you must think in terms of bringing the transparency and accountability that digitisation and setting up processes have given to the private sector into the public sector.

“This is how Nigeria can really benefit and become a leading voice in this fourth industrial revolution.”

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Obaseki Accepts Deputy Governor Shuaibu’s Apologies

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Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki and his Deputy Philip Shaibu

The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has accepted the public apologies made by his deputy, Rt. Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu, noting that as a person of faith, he was under obligation to accept the apologies.

In a letter titled, “Re: Public Apology By The Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu,” the governor said in good faith, he trusted that the public apologies as expressed by Shaibu were genuine and followed by contrite steps to improve his conflict resolution skills.

The letter reads: “I have noted the public apology made by the Deputy Governor of Edo State, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu. This apology followed an aberrant behaviour that contradicts what the people of Edo State stand for.

“To name a few, the Deputy Governor needlessly filed unfounded petitions in the Nigerian courts restraining me, the State House of Assembly and Security agencies from a non-existent impeachment process, followed by repeated breaches of protocol; unwarranted and unprovoked attacks in the media on my person and the State Government. The media frenzy as a result of the above and more, provided an impression of crises that has been precarious and distasteful to Edo people in the State and across the world.

“Although these unwarranted provocations caused me severe personal discomfort, as a person of faith, I am under obligation to accept this apology because as they say, “to err is human, to forgive is divine.”

Obaseki further noted, “In good faith, I trust that the public apology as expressed by the Deputy Governor is genuine and followed by contrite steps to improve his conflict resolution skills. I also enjoin the Deputy Governor to guide his proxies to act in accordance with his piety.”

He added, “It is my sincere hope and that of my other colleagues in government and all well-meaning Edo people, that these rhetorics will be put to an end forthwith to enable this administration finish strong and deliver the dividends of democracy to the greatest number of Edo people over this final twelve (12) months.”

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Return Of Amosun’s Loyalists: Abiodun Displayed Exemplary Political Maturity – Group

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Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun

A youth group within the All Progressives Congress (APC), APC Progressive Front, has commended Governor Dapo Abiodun for what it termed an exemplary attribute of political maturity he displayed over the weekend.

It would be recalled that hundreds of APC members, loyal to ex-governor Ibikunle Amosun, across all the 20 local governments in the State, led by the one-time Chairman of the party, Chief Derin Adebiyi, were on Friday received back to the mainstream of the party by Abiodun, alongside the Chairman of APC in the State, Chief Yemi Sanusi, and other party bigwigs.

In a statement signed on Sunday by its coordinator, Rasheed Sanusi, and made available to newsmen in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, the group lauded the leadership capacity displayed by the governor, saying it was unprecedented in the political space of the state

According to the statement, the governor has proved his capacity as a leading figure in progressive politics beyond every reasonable doubt, adding that it is now incumbent on the returnees to reciprocate the gesture and prove their loyalty to the party.

It opined that the action of the governor has given new hope of a better future to the party in the state and an undiluted testament that APC is truly a progressive party with clear-cut ideology based on popular interest.

“Prince Dapo Abiodun has truly proved himself as a leading democrat among his contemporaries. He has achieved what other leaders before him could not achieve; he has indeed redefined progressive politics in Ogun State.

“The Governor has exhibited unprecedented magnanimity in power and in governance. No one could have imagined that a governor of a state would navigate such a level of gang-up and conspiracy within the party to win an election, and after the victory, he decided to reconcile with those who worked against him and warmly received them back to the party.

“The Governor has taught us a big lesson of inclusive governance and purposeful leadership. He deserves an award in progressive leadership. He remains an institution to study,” the statement read.

The statement further noted that the party remains a formidable force in the state with focus on aggressive development of infrastructure and human capital through the ‘Building our future together’ agenda of the governor.

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Thousands Dump Amosun, Re-Align With Abiodun

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L-R: Secretary to the Ogun State Government, Mr. Tokunbo Talabi, the leader of former Governor Ibikunle Amosun's political group, Chief Derin Adebiyi; Speaker, Ogun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Olakunle Oluomo; Governor Dapo Abiodun; Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state; Chief Yemi Sanusi; former Deputy Governor in the state, Alhaja Selimot Badru during the integration of the Senator Ibikunle Amosun's political group from the 20 local government areas of the state into the mainstream of the APC in the state on Friday.

Thousands of loyalists of former governor Ibikunle Amosun from the 20 local government areas of Ogun State have rejoined the mainstream of the All Progressives Congress (APC) led by the State governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun.

Receiving the returnees led by the factional Chairman of the Amosun-led party Executive at the Presidential Lodge, Abeokuta, the State governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun commended them for their loyalty and being steadfast with what they believed in.

The governor said: “I want to congratulate your sense of loyalty to leadership, which I will say is not only commendable, it is enviable.

“This is a culture that we must promote and entrench. It is a culture that is fast eroding; it is a culture that we are fast losing. Loyalty is 100 per cent.

“For some others, they move once things are not working well, but for you, you stay put. This sense of loyalty is worthy of emulation. We must appreciate the fact that there can only be one leader in a party at a time.

“Even when we have ambitions and desires, we must subordinate ourselves 100% to leadership and believe that it is in that subordination that will allow us to flourish and achieve our objectives, our dreams, our desires and aspirations, not by forming factions or by breaking away.

“Because by so doing, it only weakens the fabric of that collective union that we call our party. You must appreciate that there can be only one leader of the party at a time in the state, and that leader is the governor.

“As the leader of the party, I appreciate the task bestowed on me and it is my duty to work towards individual and collective welfare of our members,” the governor noted.

The governor urged all members to put the past behind them and work towards repositioning the party to achieve its aims and work for the socio-economic development of the state.

“Let us put the past behind us. Let us promote what unites us as a family. I welcome you back. The future of Ogun State is in your hands and it is for us for the taking. The same joy with which the father of the prodigal son received his lost son back home, the same way I receive you today.

“To those who did not leave, please let us receive our brothers and sisters back. To those who are joining us, please let us display a sense of loyalty. I can assure you, you will be fully integrated. ”

The Chairman of the State All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Yemi Sanusi, said in every human relationship, there is bound to be disagreement, adding that even in time of war, there is always a place for peaceful settlement of conflict, calling the returnees to fully integrate themselves with other members of the party.

Leader of the returnees, Chief Derin Adebiyi, said they had all agreed to return to the mainstream to contribute to the development of the party and the state in general, thanking the governor and the party members for receiving them back.

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