- A university professor has called on the All Progressives Congress to promote merit and good governance in Osun state
- Abdulrazaq Abubakare said the good legacies of the current administration under Governor Rauf Aregbesola must be encouraged
- He said the parameter for good governance should never be changed in the state
A former vice chancellor of Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Kwara state, Abdulrazaq Abubakare, has called on the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to promote merit and good governance.
Abubakare said despite the clamour in some quarters that the governorship position in Osun state be zoned to the Osun west senatorial district - where he hails from - the APC should look out for the best among its aspirants to present as candidate, so as not to sacrifice merit in the governance of the state.
Speaking over the weekend, the Iwo-born university don, said he is more concerned with ensuring that the good legacies of the current administration under Governor Rauf Aregbesola must be built upon by the next governor.
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He also said he will not lend his support to some sentimental demands that are based more on geographical consideration than merit and capability.
Abubakare noting that task of taking Osun to greater heights must not be put in the hands of incompetent people as Aregbesola prepares to leave Government House.
He challenged the ruling party to look beyond the clamour for zoning and decide who its flag-bearer will be, based more on competence, loyalty, track records and the ability of each aspirant to work as a team player if given the opportunity to govern Osun.
He said: “Aregbesola is an excellent performer. He is a brilliant administrator who came determined to bring about the much needed change in our dear state. He has forever changed the parameter of governance in Osun state."
"Before he came, Osogbo, the state capital, was more like a glorified local government headquarters. But he saw the need to change that and what we see in Osogbo today are testimonials of his achievements," Abubakare said.
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Here is a governor who spends the larger chunk of his security votes on securing the lives and properties of the people of the state; and look at what he has done in the educational sector of the state.
The schools he built can only be emulated by other states; none as we speak can beat the standard of the architecture of our schools in Osun. The facilities too are world class.
“He has also not neglected human capacity development. In spite of the financial difficulties he encounters, he sent people abroad to be trained and developed so they can come back and serve Osun better.
Those are the legacies of this administration we must put into consideration when choosing a successor for Aregbesola. And to get the very best, we must look beyond the need to zone the governorship ticket of the ruling party.e as its own person. Shouldn’t such a zone or person be well prepared for the contest?
“I say this because the current governor is from Osun east and it is only fair another zone takes the slot. That is the type of zoning I can support. And there are many good candidates in the central senatorial zone too," he said.
Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously reported that two students representing University of Ilorin, Kwara have emerged winners of the #BounceCorruption public integrity debate.
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The debate organized by the Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth & Advancement (YIAGA) was aimed at creating a platform for young, passionate Nigerian youths to discuss the issues that has continued to destroy the country's economy and by extension, the future of the younger generation.
University of Ilorin won the debate with University of Lagos coming first runner up, Federal University of Technology as second runner up and University of Calabar coming in as third runner up.
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Source: Naija.ng