VANGUARD
Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has identified public infrastructure as a key driver of inclusive socio-economic growth and development which empirically catalyzes reducing inequalities.
For Mr. Governor, if done right, broad-based provision of public infrastructure like roads, bridges etc, can connect markets, and facilitate production and trade, while also creating multi-dimensional opportunities.
Other benefits are water and sanitation, schools and hospitals which improve people’s lives, skills, and health, supporting their income and gender equality; helping address urgent health care needs (for example, during epidemics); reducing pollution; and building resilience against climate change and natural disasters.
Thankfully, a glimpse of hope finally came as Adeleke vigorously engaged in ridding of leadership deficit and creating an enabling environment to foster sustainable development goals, food security, and human capital development, among other things in Osun.
The new kid in the bloc is also not encouraging infrastructural projects that will be poorly designed, or with large cost overruns, neither will he tolerate long construction delays which could yield poor social dividends for the citizenry.
Matching his words with action, the governor, on Friday, October 27, 2023, unveiled his laudable plan to build infrastructure worth N100 billion in the state. The infrastructure is set to provide 45 major roads, 345 healthcare centres, 5 flyover bridges, potable water and a street lighting network among others.
The governor boldly cited passion as the force behind his administration’s infrastructural development in Osun. These projects include the rehabilitation of Otan Ayegbaju-Iresi Road and Ede-Egbedi-Erin Osun Road. It also targets water projects across all 332 wards across the state.
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