THE HOPE

Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has assured the people of Arogbo and other Ijaw speaking towns in Ondo State of his administration’s commitment to capture in next year’s budget a plan to build a general hospital in Arogbo town.

This is coming as the governor vowed to ensure that all repentant militants who have laid down their arms and ammunition and embraced peace in the riverine area of the state are incorporated in the Federal Government’s Amnesty Programme.

Akeredolu spoke when a delegation from Arogbo-Ijaw in Ese-Odo Local Government Area led by the Paramount ruler of the kingdom, His Imperial Majesty, Zacheaus Egbunnu paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

The governor equally assured the people of Arogbo-Ijaw kingdom that his administration would continue to make a case for marine police presence to further strengthen peace and security in the kingdom.

He noted that efforts by his administration, particularly in securing the freedom of the kidnapped Senior Secondary School students of Lagos Model College, Igbonla, Epe, has further returned peace into the riverine areas of Lagos and Ogun States.

Akeredolu explained that his administration was taking necessary steps to ensure urgent incorporation of the repentant militants from the state into the Federal Government Amnesty programme, expressing optimism that very soon, the repentant militants would be incorporated.

The governor also urged the monarch to continue to appeal to youths in the town on the need to maintain peace and shun all forms of violence. He revealed that during the last National Economic Council meeting in Abuja, the issue of marine police was adequately discussed and promised to continue to push for it to curb insecurity on the waterways in the state.

He disclosed that paucity of funds hindered his government from attending to so many needs of the people in the rural communities, just as he promised the delegation that he would do his best to influence a general hospital to Arogbo-Ijaw kingdom through the Office of the Vice President or put it in next year’s budget of the state.

He also informed the delegation that his government would continue to put pressure on  the management of the Niger-Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to ensure that they complete all the abandoned projects including Agadagba/Arogbo overhead bridge before embarking on new ones.

Earlier, Oba Zacheaus Egbunu, who visited the governor for the first time since he ascended the throne of his forebears about ten months ago, appreciated him for making his ascension to the throne a peaceful and successful one, adding that the development has put an end to insecurity in the kingdom.

He equally lauded the governor for appointing a good number of Ijaws into his government, saying this has proved that the Governor has genuine love for the people of the area.

The monarch had made several appeals to the governor including building of a general hospital in their kingdom, completion of the abandoned overhead Agadagba/Arogbo bridge, extension of the national grid to Arogbo as well as the quick integration of repentant militants into the Federal Government Amnesty Programme.