From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
The All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate for the Ogun West senatorial district, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, has pledged to resuscitate and complete the abandoned World Bank assisted electrification project in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State.
Adeola, who declared that he would donate a sum of N50m towards the completion of the project billed to provide electricity to 57 communities in the Ketu Axis of the Yewa North LG, made the pledge in Oja Odan town during his campaign tour of the local government, at the weekend.
The senator, however, donated N10m on the spot for completion of other projects in Ebute, Oja-Odan, Ohunbe, Igbeme, Tata, Eggua, Igan-Alade, Owode-Ketu and Ijoun, during the campaign tour.
“It is shocking that there is a World Bank Assisted Rural Electrification Project that is over 90% completed and abandoned following the expiration of the global finance body financial assistance. From the narration here, I am willing to see to the completion of the project that will benefit 57 communities in the senatorial district I intend to represent. I am sure that completion of this project which has been abandoned for years will greatly assist human and economic development of these communities”, the senator stated.
Adeola, who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, called for a full briefing on the project and what specifically needed to be done for the completion, adding that “but for the scanty information available, I would have authorized the release of fund for its completion at this instance”.
“If indeed only N50 million is required to complete this otherwise laudable project that is partly World Bank financed, then this speaks volume to the kind of representation my people had endured all these years. The project could easily be completed in one budget cycle through facilitation by an effective representative”, he stated.
Adeola, therefore, released N5 million for the market women at Oja Odan for the completion of a maize storage facility with capacity for 400 bags, N5million for the ongoing palace building of Oba Basiru Oyero, the Onijale of Ijale Ketu, donated transformers to be supplied before election to Ohunbe, Oja-Odan, Igan-Alade and Ijoun, while promising to complete the ongoing police stations at Eggua and Ijoun, as well as build a brand new 8-classroom block, offices and toilets in Yewa North Primary School at Ijoun.
He reiterated his programme of empowering 5,000 market men and women with cash grants, training and empowering 5,000 youths as well as the ongoing training of 200 physically challenged persons to be empowered with N100,000 each to start businesses in which they received training.