JUDGING from the way he has been administering the Gateway State since his assumption of office in the last 200 days, Governor Ibikunle Amosun may soon qualify for an award in selfless leadership.

This is because on assumption of office on May 29, he realised that the accounts of the state were in red and that many prized assets of the state had been sold out by his predecessor, under a concession agreement which, according to stakeholders, was done in a manner that was not transparent and unpatriotic.

But Senator Amosun has soldiered on while contending that it is worthless crying over spilled milk. He would rather take the option to re-engineering the finances of the state. In doing this, he refocused the approach to financial management in the state and plugged all avenues through which the resources of the state were haemorrhaging. He also opened fresh avenues to raise the Internally Generated Revenue profile of the state. The result was instant.

For example, at the end of October, while most of the states of the federation could not pay workers’ salaries, due to the delay in the release of federal allocation, Ogun State government paid workers from reserves, without borrowing.

Determined not to create any hardship for his people with new taxes, the chartered accountant who presides in Ogun State moved swiftly to activate the residency rule in the tax law. Essentially, the rule states that personal income tax must be paid to the state where one is domiciled. In this regard, Ogun State has embarked on massive public enlightenment and also engaged officials of the Lagos State government in dialogue. Ogun hopes to rake in about N24 billion from the application of the residency rule in collection of tax in the next fiscal year.

To give fillip to the campaign, the Amosun-led administration has consciously set out to rehabilitate the poor network of roads in the border communities as a way of encouraging residents to identify with the revolution unfolding in the state and also spur them to insist on the remittance of their taxes to Ogun State as demanded by the Personal Income Tax Act.

Senator Amosun seems to be making headway in his financial re-engineering and revenue drive as he recently announced to an appreciative audience, while presenting the 2012 budget that his long-term plan is to ensure that the state does not depend on allocation from the Federation’s Account before paying its bills.

However, the governor is of the firm conviction that it would be impossible to persuade residents of Mowe, Ibafo, Akute, Alagbole and other border communities to pay taxes to Ogun State, if they do not enjoy some basic amenities that will make them feel the presence of government in their areas.

Aside the rehabilitation work on some roads in these communities, the government has invited bids for the 34 kilometre Sango – Ijoko – Akute –Alagbole – Ojodu –Abiodun road. The six-lane road, when completed, would link Sango-Ota with Ojodu Berger in Lagos and permanently end the nightmare that travelling along that route has become in recent times.

Interestingly, it is not only the border dwellers that enjoyed the robust intervention of the administration in the area of infrastructural development. Beside the commencement of the construction of the six-lane Ibara – Ita-Eko – Sokori –Totoro road, over 30 othes across the three senatorial districts were also rehabilitated.

The administration also invested heavily in its promised affordable and qualitative education. The ‘Obafemi Awolowo-type of free education’ is very dear to the governor because he believes that education holds the key to the future of the state. The governor is also of the opinion that no child should be deprived of basic education on account of the inability of his parents to pay tuition fee. You will always hear him say, “Pa Awolowo won’t forgive us if he sees that a child in his own state is out of school because his parents can’t pay tuition fees. We must do what we need to do to keep every child of school age in school.” It is this belief that explains why he retrieved some secondary schools ceded to some churches by the last administration. Had that policy remained, no fewer than 32,000 students would have been deprived of secondary education.

In line with his election campaign promises, the government also renovated over 50 health centres across the state and equipped them with basic needs to allow staff to function effectively. The administration also sponsored free eye surgical operation and distribution of free eye glasses at the local government level. It sponsored free malaria treatment in all primary and secondary health facilities in the roll-out malaria programme. It also vigorously prosecuted the war against diabetes.

On security, the governor responded gamely to the daunting challenge posed by armed bandits who decided to make the state a safe haven. He ordered for 10 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC’s) and 120 Hilux patrol vans fitted with communication gadgets. Construction of dedicated barracks for the security personnel is about to end. He also raised a joint military /police patrol to send the message to hoodlums that his administration would have zero-tolerance for criminality and armed brigandage. Also, a Security Trust Fund has been set up under the leadership of Colonel Kayode Are, retried director-general of the State Security Service (SSS).

In the area of food production, the administration has succeeded in getting the Tsonghai Farms based in Republic of Benin to replicate their agricultural institute in the state. It has also attracted three major investors in agriculture who desire to invest in over 30,000 hectares of farmland spread across the three senatorial districts in the state. This is part of efforts to use agriculture to fulfill its industrialisation and employment generation programmes.

• Balogun is a media aide to Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State

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