Osun State Accord Party gubernatorial candidate for the forthcoming July 2022 governorship election, Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi has assured the citizens of the state that he would demystify bureaucracy if given the opportunity to serve the state as its next governor come November this year.
This, he said, arose from his firm belief that the essence of government and governance is for the citizens to live right and live well.
He was speaking with some stakeholders in the state who paid him a solidarity visit at his party secretariat along Gbongan Road in Osogbo on Wednesday.
While challenging the stakeholders to go all out to mobilize the electorate to vote for his (Accord) party in the July governorship election in the state, Ogunbiyi stated that bureaucracy has been a bane and a clog in the wheel of the progress of the state from one government to another since the state was created. The bane, he said has been more pronounced in the various civilian administrations that have governed the state till date.
According to Ogunbiyi, bureaucracy had muddled up a lot of initiatives by government after government; it had rendered successive administrations to be not creative, not innovative, not nimble and, as such, not productive.
He pointed out that that scenario has made the economic and human capital resources of Osun state to remain largely untapped and poorly harnessed.
While shedding light on how he hopes to deliver on his promise of demystifying bureaucracy, the corporate guru cum entrepreneur disclosed that he would draw from his many years of experience and success story in entrepreneurship to bring both the public sector and the private sector (both local and international) together in strategic, people and development oriented partnerships right from his first day in office.
He recalled that his career has been positively signposted across companies which cut across numerous sectors of the economy; across numerous states in the Nigerian federation and internationally across a number of African countries.
All of these, Ogunbiyi stressed, would avail him very wide latitude to masterfully bring both the public and private sectors together to harness the economic and human resources of the state to develop and transform the state and its entire populace. This, he added, would be done across all the sectors of the state’s economy and across all the segments of the Osun society – in a mutually value-adding and mutually beneficial manner.
In so doing, the Accord Party flag bearer assured that massive employment would be created, rural-urban migration would be checked; youths would be gainfully employed; security of lives ad properties would be better guaranteed; and Osun state would begin to take its rightful place in the comity of states in the Nigerian federation; and literally fulfill the dreams of the founding fathers.
Ogunbiyi disclosed further to the stakeholders that already so many local and international private sector organizations, including venture capitalists are lining up behind him, ready to partner with the government and people of Osun state once he is elected and sworn in all to the benefits of all.
Lending his voice to Ogunbiyi’s submission on bureaucracy and its telling impact on the citizens of Osun state, the running mate to Ogunbiyi on the Accord Party ticket, Comrade Kunle Jimoh, said, “Dr. Ogunbiyi has just hit the nail on the head when speaking about bureaucracy and its negative effects on our state and its people. No one, speaking sincerely, would deny the fact that bureaucracy has done our state more harm than good. If you doubt it, ask the civil servants; ask the pensioners; you may even find out from contractors that have handled projects for the state under various administrations”.
On his part, Gbenga Ogunko, a corporate executive and boardroom guru who has related with Ogunbiyi at corporate and entrepreneurial levels over a long period of time alluded to the age-long statement that the taste of the pudding is in the eating, submitting that Osun state electorate should simply “taste and see what Akin Ogunbiyi is capable of doing” by voting for him massively and defending their votes at the July gubernatorial poll.
Ogunko stated further, “I have watched this man very closely for so many years, he will be an asset to Osun State as its Governor. He will do the state a lot of good”.
While responding to Ogunbiyi, Chief Oladotun Akindele commended Ogunbiyi for his foresight and for his courage, adding that all of them as stakeholders knew what Ogunbiyi is bringing to the table which, according to him (Akindele), was why they had pitched their tents with him (Ogunbiyi). He assured the governorship candidate that they would not relent in their enlightenment and mobilization of the electorate across the state to vote for Ogunbiyi whom he described as “the only beacon of hope for Osun State in this gubernatorial dispensation”.
