Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, says his administration has delivered more housing units in its first four years in office than all of his predecessors combined.
Governor Abiodun’s Chief Press Secretary, Lekan Adeniran, quoted his principal to have spoken on Friday in Abuja at a meeting with the UNDP Country Representative in Nigeria, Mohamed Yahya.
He said the governor noted that his administration had made giant “strides with attendant success in those sectors, vis-a-viz delivering more housing units in the first four years of the administration than all his predecessors combined.”
Governor Abiodun said the success of the Women Empowerment programmes, which made giant strides in poverty alleviation via small scale lending, laying of over 5,000 KM of fiber optic to ensure hi-speed internet to all parts of the state, launch of the job portal which sought to connect employers and potential employees with over 150,000 registrations in the 1st week of launch.
He also cited the construction of the Gateway Agro-Cargo Airport with the longest runaway in Nigeria (4KM) in record time and the planned investment of over $400m for a planned special agric processing zone (SAPZ) in the adjourning land area to the airport, as parts of his achievements.
“All these projects have changed the face of the State as well as the well-being of the people,” the Governor said.
He called for cooperation between the State and the United Nations Development Programme in such critical sectors as housing, energy transition, ICT, women empowerment, job creation and employment.
Abiodun said those sectors were the major focus of his administration under his ISEYA Developmental Pillars.
He further recalled that the administration, just last Monday, unveiled Mass transit buses running on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), in line with its energy transition programme and climate change agenda with the introduction of EV2 and 3 wheelers to take place shortly.
The Governor told the delegation that his administration would seek the collaboration of the UNDP to continue to achieve its set goals, going forward.
“Specifically, the meeting agreed on several areas of support between the State and the UNDP, including but not limited to the joint development of baseline data and study for specific sectors in the state, including for the poor and vulnerable towards the aim of the State Government in bridging the gap to meet SDG goals, potential collaborations in arts and creative economy, expansion of the Ogun State for Women Project, Climate Change and exploration of carbon markets, provision of TVET training, empowerment through mini grids power solutions and participation in UNDP’s Jubliee program through the state’s Ogun Teach Initiative and sustainable housing projects among others,” the governor said.
Speaking earlier, the UNDP Representative listed the objectives of the organisation to include poverty alleviation, implementation of SDGs, deepening democratic governance, and measuring its impact.
Yahya said that UNDP is funding a Jubilee Programme, with the aim of placing 20,000 Nigerians in the public and private sectors while the organisation pays their salaries for one year.
He said 5,000 companies have signed up to participate in the project with 4,000 placements recorded so far.
