Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu, candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the October 10, governorship election has advised students of the state’s tertiary institutions not to believe politicians who promised a drastic reduction in tuition fees.
The governor said this during an interractive session with youths and students of various institutions in Akure, the state capital.
He said it is practically impossible for the government to solely fund three universities without some level of increment in tuition fees, adding that he would rather tell the truth than deceive the electorate.
He said his focus if re-elected for a second term, would be job creation through entrepreneurship, skill acquisition and agriculture.
He disclosed that his administration has created more than 20,000 direct jobs through the various industries operating at Ore Industrial Hub.
He noted that an investor had paid the first instalment for the moribund Oluwa Glass at Igbokoda, in Ilaje Local Government Area of the state.
Akeredolu said that he planned to ensure that more students took interest in studying agriculture.
“Very soon, the College of Agriculture will depend less on government funding.”
Akeredolu blamed his predecessors for establishing universities without getting accreditation for many courses.
“We had a Medical School without a teaching hospital.
“I am building two teaching hospitals in Akure and Ondo towns. We are turning Ondo State into a medical hub.
“We are earning less and doing much. There was a time we earned big but all the money went down the drain.
“My concern is to move ahead. We will need the best to manage the three universities.
“When I was sworn in in 2017, the first executive bill I sent to the Ondo State House of Assembly was the establishment of the Ondo State Development and Investment Promotion Agency (ONDIPA)
“It was to see to the policy of investment promotion, business development and wealth creation in our state.
“Today, through ONDIPA, Ondo has moved from number 34 to number 16 in the ease of doing business in Nigeria.
“By the grace of Almighty God, the Ore Industrial Park is a creation of ONDIPA”, he said.
NAN
