Osun State Governor Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke has expressed his excitement over his choice as LEADERSHIP Group Governor of the Year 2024.
Adeleke said winning the award had further spurred him to encourage his team to redouble their efforts in the face of overwhelming positive reviews and high approval ratings.
The governor made the comment at the Government House banquet hall in Osogbo when he received the management team of LEADERSHIP Group led by the vice chairman, Mike Okpere.
The governor said the LEADERSHIP award was one more example of the positive national attention Osun had been getting since he assumed the governorship in late 2022, adding that the state is constantly getting recognitions for what outsiders and even opposition members regard as his administration’s commendable performance.
He, however, said that he would not allow the praises to fo his head, noting that while it may be true that he had delivered a four year task in under two years he remained committed to do more because Osun had been left behind on many fronts.
“As I have reduced the infrastructure deficit by over 40 percent, my real target Is higher. As I have bridged access to primary health care, my ambition is to also expand health access at medium and tertiary levels.
“While our records across the sectors are laudable as your newspaper has acknowledged, the ultimate goal is to accelerate infrastructure upgrade alongside the boosting of soft investment for the well being of our people.”
The governor expressed his appreciation to the media house for recognising the performance of his government.
“I appreciate your candid endorsement of our performance. It is important to note that your yardstick for recognizing us correlates with similar reasons adduced by others.
“Our huge governance records are undeniable facts especially in workers’ welfare, infrastructure delivery, educational expansion, health care access improvement, solid mineral sector reforms, digital economy initiatives, and agricultural mechanisation among others.
“I want to assure the public that our administration is not slowing down. Very soon, I will flag off ongoing remodeling of Osogbo stadium to assume international standard. Prior to the ongoing stadium project, we had engineered the creation of Osun Sport Commission and Osun Sport Fund through appropriate legal and policy framework.
“Very soon, I will be flagging off the dualisation of phase one of Odoori-Post Office road at Iwo. The contractor for Iwo -Osogbo road has mobilised to site. We plan to complete the two projects within the life of this administration.governance for the good of man and humanity.”
Earlier, before he presented the nomination letter to the governor, the vice chairman of LEADERSHIP Group, Mr. Michael Okpere said the awardees were carefully chosen by a team of 54 egg heads who conducted a thorough research before the awardees were nominated.
He lauded Governor Adeleke for impacting positively on his people within his short stint in office, adding that his good works would speak for him in his future endeavours.
Okpere said, “What we do as our social corporate responsibility is to give recognition to people that improve society, economically or otherwise, and we also find it worthy that Your Excellency be awarded as Governor of the Year.
“Your Excellency, this trip is to notify you formally about this award and we personally invite you that, on the 8th of April, 2025, at the Banquet Hall of the State House Asokoro, this award will be handed over to you.
“Our person of the year is Aliko Dangote; you all are aware of the investment he just concluded by bringing fuel production into Nigeria. Because of that and many other things, we chose him our person of the year 2024.
“Other persons that would be sharing the merit are other governors that have touched people’s lives. Among them is your governor-colleagues from Akwa Ibom, the governor of Enugu State, the governor of Jigawa State, and the governor of Kano S.tate.
“We didn’t call this LEADERSHIP Governor of the Year; we call it Governor of the Year. In other words, what we say is, this recognition will give you an insight and encouragement to do a second term.
“As a newspaper company, we don’t endorse governors but when we see something we say it. Your Excellency sir, I want to present to you the notification and official invitation.”
In his remarks, the director, LEADERSHIP Group, Mr. Abraham Nda-Isaiah said Adeleke was nominated for the award based on his excellent performances in infrastructural development, the health sector,the education sector and the agricultural sector, among others.
Nda-Isaiah who referred to Governor Adeleke as Osun workers’ friend, noted that the world was aware of his prompt payment of workers’ salaries, emoluments of retirees, and the ongoing payment of the backlog of half salaries of workers he inherited from his predecessors.
