Evaluating Adeleke’s Infrastructure Strides

According to the African Development Bank (AFDB), Africa still has massive infrastructure needs. It invests only 4% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on infrastructure projects, compared with the 14% by China alone.

The regional bank further stated that it is a must for Africa to industrialise in order to end poverty and to generate employment for about 15 million youths who join its workforce annually.

One of the key factors challenging the progress of industrialisation has been the inadequate production of stable infrastructure in power, water, and transportation services that will surely give organisations full access to thrive.

New estimates by AFDB suggest that the continent’s infrastructure needs is between $130 and $170 billion a year, with a financing gap between $676 and $107.5 billion.

This is a proof of the huge infrastructure deficit facing Africa. Robust infrastructure enables reliable and high-speed connectivity, bridging the digital divide and ensuring equal access to opportunities.

This fosters inclusivity, driving digital literacy and adoption. With reliable infrastructure, people can access essential services like healthcare, education, and financial services, regardless of their geographical locations.

Infrastructure development attracts investment, talents, and businesses, creating hubs for innovation and entrepreneurship. This leads to the creation of new industries, jobs, and economic growth.

Modern infrastructure supports the establishment of innovation hubs, incubators, and accelerators, providing resources for startups and entrepreneurs to thrive.

Infrastructure drive

For Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State, it is therefore, not surprising that infrastructure drive is top on his agenda. He has at every given opportunity reiterated his commitment to giving infrastructure development a priority.

Hence, he has since coming into power in May 2023 embarked on massive infrastructure drive, ranging from building of roads, especially rural roads to schools.

Ironically, he has also made it known that what has been termed in Nigeria local parlance as “stomach infrastructure” will not suffer. This development gladdens the heart of many people in the state, particularly the indigents and less privileged who benefit most from these gestures.

Adeleke, who made this known recently when he played host to the Olunisa of Inisa, Oba Joseph Oyedele, and his chiefs, at the Government House, Osogbo, disclosed that while various projects initiated by his administration were at different stages of completion, he would not lose focus on making available the basic needs for the populace.

“We are not joking with stomach infrastructure; we have been making available various relief materials. I have also instructed my appointees to make these relief materi – als circulate, especially at the grassroots level,” Adeleke said.

However, the governor reaffirmed his infrastructure plan across all the sectors, saying infrastructure development is already ongoing across the 30 local government councils in the state. He stated this recently when the Nigerian Society of Engineers, led by her President/ Chairman-in-Council Engr. Margaret Aina Oguntala, visited him and inspected ongoing projects within the state capital.

He told his visitors that what the engineers saw at Os – ogbo was small, adding that construction is ongoing across the state. The governor stressed that in 2023, “I announced an ambitious infrastructure plan across the sectors.

Many doubted our capacity to implement the various projects but to the glory of God, we have proved critics wrong. We have shown that we have the will, the capacity and the knowledge to achieve our goals.”

He said his administration is fully determined to take Osun to greater heights and has demonstrated strong passion to bridge the infrastructure gap in Osun State.

According to him, “We are convinced that economic growth and development is best achieved when the infrastructure sector is well developed. Good infrastructure facilitates economic development and good governance.”

Opposition

Despite laudable development, the opposition party, All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun, has, however, cast aspersion on it, resulting in open verbiage between it and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who have roundly condemned the opposition party for playing the ostrich instead of acknowledging and commending the good work of the governor and the party.

The APC had challenged the integrity of those projects embarked upon by Adeleke, saying that the projects fell short of standards.

Pass mark

But when a technical team led by the President of the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NGE), Margaret Aina Oguntala concluded an audit and validation tour of the projects recently, the consensus was that they are of very high standards.

“The quality is undoubtedly high, and the job is being done to a very high standards. It’s fantastic,” Oguntala who presides over Nigeria’s topmost engineering body declared after their tour of some of the facilities.

This verdict puts a lie to the warp narrative of the opposition party, which has been gaining traction across the state.

Adeleke in his response to the opposition’s narrative, said they are jealous and envious of his superlative delivery and performance in the last 23 months, urging them to accept the new dawn of good governance in the state.

Speaking to newsmen in Lagos after delivering a minilecture at the seventh memorial anniversary lecture in honour of the Founder of Cherubim and Seraphim Church, St Moses Orimolade, Adeleke said his focus on delivering good governance and serving only public interest worries and confounds the opposition, which failed woefully, when it was given the opportunity to govern the state.

According to the governor, his administration made it a point of duty to deliver on big and small service issues confronting the people of the state across the sectors, explaining that the approach combines thinking big and small at the same time in the best interest of the people.

According to him, “we are faithful to the people and our governance agenda, hence our deliveries on infrastructure, health, digital economy, agriculture, commerce and industry, climate change, education, sports and workers’ welfare among others. We got so much done by God and the people.

“To my critics, I empathise and sympathise with them. When somebody succeeds where you fail, you are likely to be envious and even bitter. That is human nature. But I encourage them to place public interest above private agenda.

As for me, I have no option than to succeed.” He said the opposition cannot understand how his administration has done so much within such a little time, hence their resort to outright fake news, personal attacks and sinning against God by condemning his praise and worshiping the giver of power and life.’’

Truth to power

Speaking earlier on the theme of the lecture, titled; the role of the church in delivering good governance, the governor called on religious institutions to always speak truth to power, stressing the importance of constructive engagement with political leaders.

“Silence by the church and clerics generally is not an option. Clerics must speak loud about free and fair elections, dignity of all human beings, superiority of public good over private interests, respect for the supremacy of the constitution, observance of the rule of law and equality of all citizens before the law,’’ he said.

Adding, “As a sitting governor, I firmly believe the clerics should mount advocacy on what impedes good governance namely autocracy, dictatorship, arbitrariness, culture of impunity, self- perpetuation in office, suppression of opposition, corruption and failure to respond to aspirations of the people.

“Only a divinely guided leader can deliver on good governance, restore public faith in politics, avoid self -enrichment, resolve societal poverty, and observe the rule of law”, the Governor affirmed in his presentation.’’

In recent weeks, the media landscape has been inundated with disparaging remarks directed at the governor. Critics, particularly from the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), have intensified their attacks, employing uncharitable rhetoric aimed at undermining the governor’s transformative initiatives.