Technocrat Media Nigeria
AKURE – Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu on Friday performed the foundation laying ceremony of a new Governor’s Lodge at the Government House, Alagbaka, Akure amidst criticisms from the citizens of the state.
Mr. Akeredolu while laying the foundation said his administration was embarking on the construction of a new Governor’s Lodge because the state does not have one, adding that shelter cannot be abrogated in human’s scale of preference.
He disclosed that the Governor’s Lodge built by the immediate past administration has several defects which pose a huge threat to human living, noting that the poorly constructed building appears to be weak but may collapse anytime.
“Our first reaction to the ugly development was to involve the best of cost-effective steps to put to good use the facilities.
“In pursuant of this, qualified and experienced experts were invited to work with our in-house professionals to carry out due diligence and survey on the structures.
“The objective of our action was to have a concise report on the adequacy of spaces, snags, building health and cost of remedial works.
“The report as submitted by the experts revealed a humongous cost of putting the old lodge in a befitting status and yet it will not adequately compensate for the value of money to be spent.
“In our quest to continuously strive to fulfil our sacred vows to our people and leave a good legacy, a committee was set up to work on the experts recommendation and come up with a design for the construction of a new a Governor’s Lodge for Ondo State Government.
“The committee has turned in its recommendation on the construction of a new Governor’s Lodge of which we are here today to formally commence
He added that the new aesthetic Governor’s Lodge was conceived with the best expectations of any Governor’s Lodge in Nigeria.
“The structure sits on approximately 2,000 square meters of land and measures about 18 meters from the ground floor to the tip of the iconic roof.
“The facilities will house a Banquet Hall to sit about 250 guests, basement parking, indoor and outdoor kitchen, swimming pool, sitting lounge, atrium sitting room, dedrooms and other functional spaces.
Mr Akeredolu said his administration has been able to make bold footprints in the building infrastructure sector.
“We have conceived, delivered and are still working on some of the following construction projects: construction of Ultra-modern Internal Revenue Service Headquarters,
construction of Modern Guest Chalets in the Government House Grounds.
“Construction of UNIMED Teaching Hospital facilities in Akure and Ondo Complexes, renovation of TESCOM Headquarters, renovation of the Library Board Complex, restructuring of VIP chalets, renovation of many public buildings across the State.
“Face-lift of the State House of Assembly Complex, modern office block for ODBPP and Multi-Lateral Relations Agency, completion of the Accountant-General Headquarters Complex, the construction of a modern office for the Ondo State Contributory Health Insurance Scheme is in the pipeline.
“Restructuring of the Governor’s Office area within the Complex to make for a befitting office for the Governor and his immediate aides.
“We shall continue to focus on our core mandate and promises for the good people of Ondo State, hoping for grace and capacity to do more,” the Governor concluded.
Citizen reactions
Zadok Akintoye said, “I believe it is a misplaced priority for Mr. Governor at this time to be talking about building a new governor’s lodge and residence for him and his deputy.
Mr. Akintoye who is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) explained that “that during the period when any individual is ’employed’ by the people to head a government.
“Such an individual remains responsible to his employers; the people. It is from government funds that he eats, drinks, wears clothes, feed his family and anything else.
“To assume that citizens should accept his actions because he is a governor is not to be intellectually sound.
“It is easy for him to justify his inability to pay a living wage when he collects 600m monthly as security vote and also picks a tidy sum as running grant for his office and his family live on government resources.
Let him tell us if he has reduced his salaries and emoluments, Mr. Akintoye demanded.
Also, the Ondo State lead for CODE’s Follow The Money, Gbenga Ajongbolo said,
“It is not even new. It was stated in the 2021 ‘Budget of Hope’ which the House of Assembly passed and signed into law by the governor.
“It is recklessness. I read the governor’s statement, finding faults and justifying his action. If truly he loves the people and want the best for us, he’d continue to make use of the makeshift lodge while we work, pray and hope that our finances and revenue rises.
“Even if it eventually rises, building of governor’s lodge shouldn’t be the priority.
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