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| Eyitayo Jegede SAN |
By Jude Ndukwe
The great Ondo State is at another
threshold of history. The state which is generally accepted as one of the truly
few progressing states in Nigeria will have one of the greatest tests of its
existence come November 26, 2016, when the people are expected to vote for a
new governor that would take over from the incumbent, Dr Olusegun Mimiko.
It is not just the election that is
at stake here, much more than that are the legacies of the state which have set
the state on upward movement since the assumption of office of the incumbent.
The apprehension in the state is heightened among the people not necessarily
because of the election per se, but much more than that
because the people do not want anyone to drag them backward and rubbish the
dividends of democracy they are currently enjoying.
There is a foundation that has been
laid: the state is in a state of political serenity, social tranquility and
industrial calmness as everyone goes about their daily duties in an atmosphere
of peace, security and stability eking out honest living for themselves and
loved ones.
Just recently, members of the
Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Ondo State Chapter, held
a solidarity rally in appreciation of Dr Olusegun Mimiko for his unprecedented
support to the local government workers in the state and for making their
welfare one of the utmost priorities in the scheme of things in Ondo.
The rally which was attended by a
mammoth crowd of jubilant local government employees saw the people pouring
endless encomiums on the governor and his team for a job well done. That is the
level of confidence the masses have in the current governor, and this level of
confidence at a time that the nation is passing through its toughest times
economically and politically in her history is very hard to come by except to
those who truly deserve them.
This is the more reason why the
forthcoming election in Ondo State is of fundamental importance to the people;
this is the reason the people would not want anyone to upset the apple cart...
The search for a worthy successor
to the Ondo State government House has since begun and one name that resonates
with the people as someone who can greatly improve upon what is currently on
ground and carry the people along in their collective quest for building a
greater Ondo together is Barr Eyitayo Jegede SAN.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria
apart from being an accomplished legal luminary was the immediate past
Commissioner of Justice and Attorney-General of the State since 2009 until he
resigned in July of 2016 in order to help steer the state's ship of
development. His negotiating skills and legal advice, no doubt, have
contributed to the many achievements attributable to the government in which he
served.
Having excelled in his legal
profession where he rose to become a SAN, an accomplishment of no mean feat in
Nigeria's legal calling, Jegede has also proved to be an accomplished
politician having served Ondo State for a little less than eight years as
Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, surviving several cabinet
shake-ups in the process. There must be something about him that has seen to
his steady rise in all facets of life he has endeavoured in. It is this
experience in steady rise and stability that Jegede is bringing to bear on the
continued development of the State.
With the robust healthcare system,
educational advancement, infrastructural development, strong foundation for the
State's industrialization and independent power generation and supply, people-focused
urban renewal implementation, improved workers' welfare etc, the good people of
Ondo State cannot afford to take the risk of supporting a novice to these
laudable initiatives who would only come in to start learning the ropes and
thereby slow down the pace of development or even disrupt the entire process
totally. The best man for the people at a time like this is one who has seen it
all, one who has been a part of the process of the shine Ondo is enjoying
today, one who knows exactly the next button to push for the immediate take-off
of the next phase of development, and that man is Eyitayo Jegede.
A humble and easy-going man with
the aggressiveness of youth for the accomplishment of goals, the mien of an
apostle for listening and carrying the people along in the delicate business of
governance, Jegede is the man on whose shoulders nature has placed the
unenviable but inevitable task of building a greater Ondo together with the
people. Even this has become more urgent now than ever especially with the
popularly acclaimed dismal performance of the APC-led federal government which
has dashed the hopes of millions of Nigerians who trusted them to lead them
into greater prosperity but has unfortunately reversed the nation's wheel of
progress irredeemably.
This is the more reason the people
of Ondo cannot afford to make the same mistake Nigerians made by electing the
alternative APC at the federal level or any other alternative for that matter.
The alternatives have proved fatal failures at every opportunity given to them;
therefore, if the people's experience is anything to go by, Eyitayo Jegede is
the right man for Ondo State.
irndukwe@yahoo.co.uk;
Twitter: @stjudendukwe
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