Former deputy governor of Ondo state, Agboola Ajayi, has joined the governorship race with a promise to run the economy of the state without relying on monthly allocation from the Federal government.
Ajayi, who is contesting on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party, said in Akure, that, “l understand what we need to revive the economy of this state, I understand how to run this state without even relying on Federal Government allocation and I can prove it anywhere.
“I understand where there is money in Ondo State, I understand the plight of all the residents, including the elderly.
“I understand how Ondo State can be govern and everybody will be happy.
”I know how to engage the youths, I know how to secure the state and protect lives and properties and above all, I know that the economic activities of the state rely on construction of roads to link the riverine areas. If this is done, Lagos State will be decongested.
“What Lagos has is a very small portion of what we have in Ondo. We have the longest coastline in the entire West Africa.
“So, if we can develop access road to that area, the problem of the state has been half solved.
“I hear people say, ‘Port Ondo’, we don’t even need that for now. All we just need is to construct roads and investors, we invade the area to construct port, tourist centres amongst others.
“Olusegun Agagu, when he was governor started it but it terminated at Ugbo-nla. Subsequent governments should have taken it to Ayetoro.
“I believe that government has no business in building ports. It will be difficult for Ondo State to achieve. It will be a dream that won’t end.
“But I believe we should create the enabling environment for private investigators to take over.
“With the port alone, a lot of people will become ’emergency clearing and forwarding agents’.
“We can’t at this time again fail our people. Our people this time around must shun money politics. Our people this time around must not sell their rights.
“You knew how much we buying rice, cement, petrol and other things before and you know how much we are buying it now. So, we need to change the system, we need to try another government.
“By the time we put all the aspirants together both in APC and PDP, you will discover that most of them lack manifesto.”
Ajayi promised to build a railway system to link coastal communities in the state to Kogi State if elected the governor.
The former member of the National Assembly expressed optimism that he would win the party primary adding that he has the capacity and experience to keep ‘everybody busy.’
Ajayi said that the planned railway to link Kogi State would reduce the number of heavy duty trucks on the highway.
He, however, said he would not defect from the PDP if the primary were conducted in a transparent manner.
