A total of N45.733 billion is to be spent on the provision of affordable housing and urban renewal developments in Ogun state in 2018, the State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun has said. Amosun stated this in Abeokuta while presenting the State’s 2018 appropriation bill tagged `Budget for Accelerated Development` on the floor of the State House of Assembly, stressing that his administration considered affordable housing programme a basic human right.
He said it was in line with the desire of present administration at ensuring that the Abeokuta City Centre be redesigned, noting that the new design would feature structures that would encourage higher income earners to make the city their home. “The provision of shelter for the citizenry has been and will continue to be a priority of our administration. In order to improve the stand of living for our people, the Ogun State Housing Corporation is constructing estates at Idi-Aba and Oke-Ata in Abeokuta as well as Ota through Public Private Partnerships (PPP), while efforts are being made to extend this to Ijebu-Ode,’’ Gov. Amosun said. Amosun said that Ogun State Property and Investment Corporation (OPIC), in collaboration with Ministries of Works & Infrastructure and Housing had successfully completed the redevelopment and reconstruction of the old Gateway Hotel Annex by converting it into a 66 rooms Residence Style Resort within a record time.
The Governor also said that the state is to spend a sum of N79.25 billion on education in 2018 fiscal year. Amosun said the figure represented 22. 9 per cent of the N345. 418 billion of the total estimated for the year.
According to Governor Amosun, the state will concentrate on training and retraining of teachers in all the State Public Schools so as to expose them to modern teaching methodologies which will invariably improve students’ performance in both internal and external examinations.
He said efforts would be geared towards improving teaching in the State public schools as government would collaborate with ‘’Teach for Nigeria’’, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) to transform teaching methodologies in primary schools beginning with 20 pilot schools. The Governor also disclosed that five additional Model Secondary Schools would be opened for academic activities in the first quarter of next year, while Professor Adeoye Lambo Model School at Onijanganjangan in Abeokuta North Local Government Area had been converted to a Technical College to further boost technical and vocational education in the State.
Amosun stated his administration’s readiness towards constructing more urban, semi urban and rural roads so as to ensure overall development of the State. Governor Amosun who disclosed this today on the floor of the State House of Assembly while presenting the 2018 Appropriation Bill listed the names of urban roads to be constructed to include 26km Sagamu-Ogijo road, 28km Ikangba-Ilese-Itele road, 26km Ilisan – Ago-Iwoye road.
Others are 36 kilometre Abeokuta – Sagamu interchange road, 24km Atan-Agbara road, 42km Sango-Ojodu road, 5.5km Enugada-Adatan road, 3.5km Itoku-Ajitadun-Iberekodo road and 10km Adatan-Alabata – Camp Junction. He noted that 171 rural roads and 25 semi-urban roads cutting across the three Senatorial Districts had been earmarked for construction while three fly over bridges at Ilaro, Oju Ore in Ota and Lusada junction would be constructed. He said ‘’the provision of adequate infrastructure will always be a critical part of this government drive provide development of our people. As the Gateway State we will use all the resources at our disposal to ensure that our business people and residents alike enjoy continuous improved mobility in and around our State’’.
The Governor pointed out that 21.3 per cent share of the total budget was allocated to the Rural and Infrastructural Development/Employment Generation, adding that a budget size of N345.42billion which represented 57 percent increase compared to the 2017 budget was presented in order to commence new projects and fast track the completion of the on-going ones before the end of his tenure.
Amosun assured that government would not relent in its efforts at ensuring the development of the Olokola Deep Sea Port and the Olokola Free Trade Zone, urging well meaning investors to partner with Government in its bid at developing Tongeji Island.
