Osun’s efforts towards becoming Nigeria’s leading industrialised state by 2020

Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola,
Osun State governorThere is a new drive in the country; to make Nigeria one of the 20 biggest economies of the world by 2020. On its part, Osun State is leaving no stone unturned as it aims at becoming Nigeria’s leading industrialised state by the targeted year, as Tunde Oyekola reports.

The business of government is expanding on a daily basis but the resources to carry out the expansion, so as to give the people social comfort and new lease of life, is dwindling. It is because of this that the Osun State Government organised a two day transformational retreat for its officials to evolve ways of tapping the resources to develop and enhance more benefits for the people of the state.

The two-day retreat created the opportunity for the executive and the legislative arms of government and the career officers to sit together and brainstorm on how to develop the state. At the two day retreat held at MicCom Golf Resort Centre, Ada in Boripe Local Government Area of the state were the state governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, his Deputy, Erelu Olusola Obada, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Rafiu Adejare Bello, and all the 25 members of the state House of Assembly, secretary to the state government, head of the civil service, all political office holders, including commissioners, advisers and special assistants as well as career officers not below the rank of permanent secretary.

Others at the retreat were managers of parastatals and heads of the state-owned tertiary institutions. In his opening remarks at the retreat organized by the state Economic and Industrial Committee in collaboration with the Bankers Forum of Osun State, the state Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development, Elder Moses Adetoyese Ojo explained that the retreat was organized to ensure the sustainable growth and development of Osun State with a view to lifting the state to greater heights.

He said that entrepreneurship was the most potent factor of production since it is responsible for the coordination of all other factors to perform optimally, adding that that was the reason top political and career functionaries in the public service were selected as participants at the retreat.

The commissioner said that the state has the potential to rise to enviable heights among the comity of states, adding: “This is why this transformational retreat is very important to improve the knowledge of top government officials with a view to increasing their commitment and dedication to the achievement of the goals and aspirations of the state.”

Elder Ojo who said that the retreat would ensure the creativity of the individual functionary and the identification of the responsibilities of each agency of government in ensuring rapid economic and industrial development of the state, assured that “we should ensure that Osun State becomes economically and industrially developed as one of the leading states in Nigeria in the forseeable future.”

However, the speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adejare Bello who led 25 other members of the legislature to the retreat said that the legislative arm of government has a key role to play in the development of the state. Delivering a paper on “The Roles of the Legislative Arm of Government in the Development of a State”, said that “the absence of the legislature means that any government in operation is not supported by the will of the people because, legislators are the true representatives of the people from across the state.”

He explained that the legislature regulates the finances of government through the consideration and approval of budgetary provisions. Hon. Bello said that “the legislature conducts oversight activities because it not only enacts new programmes for the state but also ensures that the existing programmes are implemented and administered efficiently, effectively and in a manner consistent with legislative intent.”

The speaker who said that the legislature acts as overseer or watchdog to the executive branch of government and its departments on the application of public funds added: “Once the executive arm of government appreciates the surveillance and superintending roles of the legislature on the management of public funds, there would be development in the state and harmony in the government.”

He said that with proper performance of oversight functions by the legislation, the Executive arm of government complies with the will of parliament, Ethical behaviour in the civil service is maintained, there is efficiency and cost effectiveness in the use of public funds, there is sound internal financial means of operation while there is reduction of corrupt practices in government service.

Hon. Bello maintained that the House of Assembly through its oversight activities is ready to block all holes where funds were being misused while it would assist agencies of government to generate more revenue into the coffers to enable government embark on more meaningful and developmental projects.

Delivering a keynote address at the retreat, the Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola said that it is the intention of his administration to ensure the transformation of the state from being purely civil service and agrarian state to an industrialized and information-driven economy.

He added: “Although Vision 2020 which is developed by the Federal Government is aimed at ensuring that Nigeria becomes one of the leading 20 developed countries in the world by year 2020, Osun State has decided to key into the vision in order to ensure that the state becomes one of the leading industrialised states in Nigeria by that target date.”

Prince Oyinlola, while speaking on the theme: “The Role of the Executive Arm of Government in the Development of Osun State” noted that there were enough resources in the state which if properly tapped and harnessed could make Osun State to become one of the leading industrial states in Nigeria to reckon with in the world economy in no distant future.”

The potentials, according to the governor, included suitable land and climate for production of various agricultural products such as cocoa, oil palm, mango, cashew, citrus and arable crops which could serve as raw materials for agro allied industries as well as mineral resources such as gold, columbite, talc, clay, tantalite, iron ore, gravel sand and loam.

Other resources, the governor added include about 70 tourism potentials such as Osun Osogbo groove and shrine which UNESCO has conferred with a world heritage status, Olumirin water falls, in Erin Ijesa and others while human resources abound to transform the state.

The governor however lamented that some challenges such as low industrial base, low internally generated revenue of government, inadequate infrastructure, particularly electricity, high nature of government recurrent expenditure, poor attitude of workers to government job, inadequate knowledge of computer skills by the workers, poor public participation in the development of the state, misplacement of priority and poor attitude of people to the security of lives and properties are some of the factors militating against the development of the state.

Speaking on the role the executive could play in the development of the state, Governor Oyinlola said that the executive arm of government should among other things, champion the provision of basic infrastructures such as good road network, constant water supply, reliable electricity and good communication system.

He stated further that the executive arm should guarantee security for protection of lives and properties of the people so as to promote meaningful development of the state while it should ensure equity in the participation in the establishment of viable industries in the state.

The executive arm should champion good governance encapsulated in accountability, probity and transparency in governance, adding “we have been doing this by ensuring participatory, all inclusive governance where the people are made to participate in the formulation and implementation of appropriate programmes and policies affecting their welfare”.

The Governor also said that the executive arm of government should also collaborate with the development partners and other foreign bodies for the development through prompt payment of counterpart funds and by having good working relationship.

On the relationship between the executive and the legislative arms of government, Governor Oyinlola said that the relationship between the two arms should be cordial, complimentary and beneficial to the people.

Consequently, the participants at the retreat identified six key areas where the government had to make improvement to achieve faster growth and industrialization of the state.

These key areas, according to a communiqué issued at the end of the Transformational Retreat include finance, human resources, internally generated revenue, industrial and economic development, corporations and government agencies and tertiary institutions.

The retreat recommended that all untapped sources of revenue in the state should be tapped so as to increase revenue generation while accurate data on all taxable adults and business should be compiled and analyzed for effective use in revenue generation.

On industrial and economic development, the retreat recommended that government should conduct the mapping out of industrial structures of the state while operation of free trade zone and industrial parks should commence. It said that government should create awareness on the availability and uses of mineral resources in the state while an enabling environment should be created for industries to thrive. It also recommended that relaxation centers should be created at tourist centres and dams while traditional rulers should be brought on board as partners in the provision of security.

It also recommended that tertiary institutions in the state should be well equipped and should design entrepreneurial capacity-building training for students so that they would be job creators instead of job seekers after their educational training.