From Fred Itua, Abuja

Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, has revealed that his administration has so far recruited 350 Amotekun corps and 750 vigilantes in the state as part of moves to curb insecurity.

The governor, who was crowned DAAR Communications Outstanding Leader in Public Service (Citizens’ Welfare) for 2021, said despite the challenges, his administration is responding to the needs of the people.  Oyetola’s award was presented to him by Steve Omojafor, former chairman of Zenith Bank, an accomplished marketing communications and advertising expert, who chaired the event.

Presenting the award, Omojafor recalled the landmines the governor had to overcome before “truth triumphed.”

He said he was proud of the governor’s achievements, adding that he was making alumni of University of Lagos proud by what he had brought to bear on Osun in terms fiscal discipline and good governance.

The organisers said Oyetola was chosen for his outstanding performance and unprecedented achievements recorded in the area of citizens’ welfare.

The governor described the award as an endorsement of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state and his administration, adding that government would continue to live up to its billing as a responsive and responsible administration.

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“After many years in the private sector, I came into political office with a fervent resolve to apply private sector results-oriented principles to fill the gap in governance so that the people can truly enjoy the dividends of democracy.

“In Osun, the people are at the heart of what we do. Our workers, for example, get their salaries in full as and when due. We may not be that buoyant but we pay minimum wage. We pay pensions and gratuities regularly just as we are paying the arrears we inherited.

“We have restored the car loan scheme to our workers and they also enjoy our intervention in the sector among other welfare packages. Through the Osun Insurance Health Scheme, our workers contribute just 1.5 percent of their basic salary, while the government pays 3 percent making it 4.5 percent as premium to enjoy quality healthcare.

“To ensure our citizens have access to healthcare at the grassroots, we embarked on the rehabilitation, reconstruction and revitalisation of 332 PHCs at a go. As I speak, over 300 have been completed and are being used while the rest are at various stages of completion.

“We enrolled the vulnerable, including the aged and people living with disabilities into the Osun Health Insurance Scheme at free premium to enable them to enjoy quality healthcare.

“We feed 30,000 vulnerable persons on monthly basis through the Osun Food Support Scheme. We will soon be rolling out other specific support programmes for the elderly and widows before the end of the year.”

“We have provided loans and credit facilities for our citizens, including women and youths.”