I’m set to change the Narratives of Governance in Ondo State -Ife Oyedele
A governorship aspirant in Ondo state under the ruling party, All Progressive Congress (APC), and a prominent member of the Unity Forum, Mr. Ifeoluwa Oyedele, has vowed to rescue the state from poor governance that is currently ravaging the state. He made this call while describing Akeredolu-led government as the government of governor Akeredolu, wife and for his children. He pointed out that the state has repeatedly experienced leadership failure in the past years and confessed that those saddled with the responsibility of piloting the affairs of the state had turned governance into a family business.
The aspirant stated this in Oka-Akoko while addressing the party faithful during the empowerment programme for woman organized by the senator representing Ondo North Senatorial District, Prof. Ajayi Borrofice.
He said, No indigene of Ondo State today can be proud of the current situation of the state. This year makes the 44th year when Ondo State was created. I dont think there is any building within the state that has portable water from the government.
In some parts of the state, people have been battling with electricity blackout for over 10 years. They only rely on the I better pass my neighbour generator. What this means is that a child of about 10 years of age has never seen electricity from the national grid.
What has baffled us the most is that every four years we do elect governors but the most painful is that they seem not to have any plan. What we have in Ondo State today is the government of the governor and wife and for his children.
The Okitipupa born Oyedele lamented that a few individuals have hijacked governance in Ondo state and cornered state’s resources. He questioned the unimpressive and mediocre style of governance employed by Arakunrin Akeredolu which is decaying the infrastructure of the state. He was also worried by the increased decay being seen in the quality of education and health service delivery in the state. He said that no new thing has happened in the state under the present government even as undue privilege are given to people who are not from the state over the indigenes, a situation that has enhanced unemployment and poverty among the people of the state.
Oyedele, being the Executive Director, Engineering & Technical Services at the Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited (NDPHC), has used his position to restore electricity to Ondo South Senatorial District after 10 years of unending blackout.
Being an achiever, Engr. Oyedele has vowed to rescue the Sunshine State from the firm grip of poor governance which has enveloped the state for many years. He said that a non-performing governor will not be allowed to run government for another 4 years.
He is a tested and trusted individual with vast and awesome competence. This is a man known for his penchant integrity and reputed for his perfectionist personality. His huge success over the years has shown that he will be a better governor of Ondo state.
He has restored electricity in Ondo South Senatorial District, a feat two successive governors of the state had not been able to achieve.
Engr. Oyedele is truly a man of humility and shares similar characteristics with President Buhari, especially in the area of integrity and honesty. His honesty and commendable level of transparency has endeared him into the hearts of many people. He is clearly different from an average Nigerian politician who sees public offices as opportunities to amass wealth. He is a committed team player rooted in integrity, accountability, transparency and orderliness.
He was a member of ACN/CPC Merger Committee that negotiated the merger of the legacy parties which later became APC. Prior to the merger, he served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), and was also a member of the APC Constitution Drafting Sub-committee and APC Constitution Review Committee.
Engr. Oyedele designed the logo of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and he was one of the 15 gentlemen that planned the emergence of General Buhari as APC Presidential Candidate in 2014, when the party was registered. He later became the Ondo State Coordinator of the Buhari Campaign Organization when GMB became the APC presidential candidate.
He opened the first State Campaign Office/Secretariat for General Muhammadu Buhari in August, 2013.
He was the Secretary of the Buhari Campaign Council in Ondo State in the run-up to 2019 Presidential election. His political organizing skills and active involvement in Ondo State politics were displayed during the 2019 presidential election. He joined other Party faithful to rally support for the candidates of the Party even as the power that be in the state sponsored some candidates from other political party against his own Party candidate. This singular act caused APC huge loss in the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
Engr. Oyedele has built a robust career for himself in engineering management, manufacturing, construction, venture finance, governance and engineering consulting from 1982 till date. He has evidently proven his mettle in both public and private sectors.
Ifeoluwa Oyedele is an unapologetically detribalized personality. He is the Executive Director, Engineering and Technical Services, Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited. His appointment was based on merit and he clinched the position in August, 2016.
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Earlier, he was appointed as the Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer of Gambil Builders Nigeria Limited and Rikmor International Limited. As the Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer, Engr. Oyedele was responsible for mapping out strategic business agenda, negotiating contracts and ensuring that qualities as well as standard jobs were delivered.
The highly rated and respected Ifeoluwa was the head of the Sales Department in Dynapower Nigeria Limited for two years before he ran consultancy service for Edison Group and partners, where he designed electrical engineering projects for clients and also supervised projects execution.
His career began with DAFEC Consultants as a pupil engineer with responsibilities to design and prepare tenders for rural electrification projects. He was also charged with the responsibility of supervising and monitoring projects implementation. Engr. Oyedele later joined Oyo State Ministry of Works and Transport on the recommendation of the then Governor of old Oyo state, late Chief Bola Ige, due to his active service during the 1983 General elections. He worked at the Ministry for two years and displayed admirable expertise in all his responsibilities.
A graduate of Electrical Engineering from the University of Lagos, Oyedele is a Fellow, Nigerian Society of Engineers (FNSE) and a Registered Chartered Engineer. He has also bagged Fellowship of the Risk Managers Society of Nigeria (FRMN) and the Institute of Public Administration of Nigeria (FIPA) awards. He is an accomplished engineer and he has got many awards from several reputable professional organizations in Nigeria and beyond the shores of Africa. He was awarded the 10th Ondo State Man of the year in 2018 and was also inducted into the Construction Industry Hall of Fame in 2019.
Oyedele has successfully balanced career, politics and social engagements. He relaxes by engaging in sports, especially golf.
He is a member of the prestigious Ikoyi Club 1938, Smoking Hills Golf Club, Ilara-Mokin, and IBB International Golf Club, Abuja. He has served as Club Secretary and Club President in International Association of Lions Clubs. Engr. Oyedele is a loving husband and.responsible father. He is committed to family values.
Engr. Oyedele is a son of the land and a thorough-bred politician that Ondo state indigenes should be proud of. His display of honesty, humility and charitable giving has earned him a place in the heart of many people in Ondo state.
The people of Ondo state deserve better governance and their political destiny should not be taken for granted for another four years.
Meanwhile, there is no gain saying that only the brightest person with global connection like Engr. Ifeoluwa Oyedele can save the state from its current situation of debased quality of governance and decaying utilities and public infrastructure. Ifeoluwa Oyedele has all it takes to change the narratives of the Sunshine State.
Having said this, it would be recalled that a faction in the All Progressives Congress in the state known as Unity Forum has agreed to produce a consensus candidate that will slug it out with the governor of the state, Arakunrin Akeredolu in the party primaries coming up around July, this year. To this end and having considered his intimidating profile and his manifestoes for the people of the state, a lot of people have already predicted the emergence of Eng, Ife Oyedele as the likely aspirant that would eventually emerge the candidate of the Unity Forum.
It is also believed in some quarters that the success of the APC in the 2020 governorship election in the state would be 50 percent guaranteed even before the general election by picking Ife Oyedele as standard bearer.
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