Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has declared that his administration will not relent in its efforts at making the State a preferred destination for investors and regional centre for business activities.

He stated this at the week-end while receiving officers of the National Defence College, India who paid a courtesy call on him at the Governor’s Office, Ibadan.

Governor Ajimobi reiterated his administration’s commitment to the rapid economic development of the State through public-private partnership, stressing that his government would continue to provide conducive atmosphere for investors.

He noted that Nigeria had been in good relationship with India as it shared a lot with the country in terms of multi-ethnicity, multi-culture and successful democracy, adding that his government would exploit the existing cordial relationship for the benefit of the State.

The Governor described the National Defence College, India as the highest seat of strategic learning centre for senior officers from various countries.

Earlier in his remarks, the Leader of the delegation, Air Vice Marshal I. P. Vipin commended Governor Ajimobi’s transformation agenda through the provision of infrastructure and the urban renewal programme which, he said, would bring back the lost glory of the State.

“Governor Ajimobi has been known to be a champion in the areas of effective and efficient management of human and material resources. He is surely leading Oyo State to a future glory,’’ he stated.

Air Vice Marshal Vipin said that officers from the college were in the state for a strategic course that would prepare the participants for the task of formulating strategic policies in their respective areas of operation.

Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has said that he accepted in good faith, the chieftaincy title conferred on him and his wife by the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Samuel Odulana Odugade I, based on the monarch’s objective assessment of his performance as Governor in the last two years.

Governor Ajimobi and his wife, Chief (Mrs) Florence Ajimobi were  on Saturday installed as the Aare Atunluse and Yeye Aare Atunluse of Ibadan respectively by the Olubadan in his palace.

The ceremony, presided over by the traditional ruler and the Olubadan-in-Council, was graced by eminent personalities from all walks of life, including Governors Babatunde Fashola (Lagos), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Adams Oshiohmole (Edo) and Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti).

Others included the National Chairman of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Chief Bisi Akande, former Governor of Ogun State, Chief Segun Osoba, Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Babatunde Akiolu, the Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji Abdul-Azeez Arisekola-Alao, while the governors of Kano, Niger, Cross River, Plateau and Ogun States were represented.

Governor, while speaking shortly after his formal installation along with his wife and the presentation of certificate, expressed profound appreciation to the Olubadan for deeming it fit to bestow the honour on them.

He described the Olubadan as highly revered and principled traditional ruler who would not dole out chieftaincy titles to anybody who did not deserve it, no matter the person’s status in the society.

“We are all very proud of the Olubadan of Ibadanland,’’ the Governor said, adding that he had been offered several chieftaincy titles which he had turned down.

“But I have no choice than to accept this honour, coming from the highly revered royal father as the Olubadan. I know that he doesn’t just dole out chieftaincy titles anyhow. He is a man of no mean achievement and he is highly principled. He has done us, the sons and daughters of Ibadanland proud. I am, therefore, very pleased with the titles,’’ he said.

He said that he was particularly pleased, especially as he was being recognized by his kinsmen in Ibadan for his outstanding achievements since he became governor two years ago.

“Ibadan people are very tough. They are not given to frivolities. If they deem it fit to honour you, you should know that you are really worth it,’’ Governor Ajimobi said. Thanking the Central Council for Ibadan Indigenes (CCII) and the Ibadan Elders’ Forum for their usual support.

He pledged that the honour would further spur him into performing more than before in his quest at transforming and repositioning the state for socio-economic development.

All the Ibadan traditional high chiefs who were present at the occasion took turns to eulogise the governor who they said had done Ibadan proud through his outstanding performance.

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IBADAN, the Oyo State capital, practically stood still yesterday for Governor Abiola Ajimobi and his wife Florence as they were conferred with the traditional title of the Aare and Yeye Aare Atunluse of Ibadan land by the Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oba Samuel Odulana (Odugade 1).

Governors, party leaders, captains of industry, royal fathers, family and friends also gathered at the palace of the Olubadan at Monatan area, Iwo Road and the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium (formerly Liberty Stadium) to celebrate the honourees.

The couple was installed at about 12 noon with the monarch declaring that the Ajimobis were honoured because of their outstanding contributions to the State within two years of the current administration.

The eldest son of the monarch, Prof. Femi Lana, performed the installation on behalf of his father.

The city was set agog with several official cars lining the road in a convoy from the Agodi Government House through Iwo Road to Monatan.

The National Chairman, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Chief Bisi Akande and several top politicians including Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, his Osun State counterpart, Rauf Aregbesola, former Ogun State Governor, Otunba Olusegun Osoba were at the event.

Others included, Chief Tom Ikimi; Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Babatunde Akiolu; Olugbon of Ile-Igbon, Adegboyega Osunbade; former governor of Oyo State, Dr Omololu Olunloyo; the Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Abdul-Azeez Arisekola-Alao; Senator Ayoade Adeseun; Wife of the former Governor of Lagos State, Senator Oluremi Tinubu while the governors of Kano, Niger, Cross Rivers, Plateau and Ogun States were represented.

Heads of military and para-military formations in Oyo State also graced the occasion.

Ajimobi said he accepted the honour in view of the monarch’s objective assessment of his performance as Governor in the last two years.

He described the Olubadan as a highly revered and principled traditional ruler who would not dole out chieftaincy title to anybody who does not deserve it, no matter the person’s status in the society.

He pointed out he had been offered several chieftaincy titles which he had turned down.

The new Aare Atunluse said:” I have no choice than to accept this honour, coming from the highly revered royal father as the Olubadan.

“I know that he doesn’t just dole out chieftaincy titles anyhow. He is a man of no mean achievement and he is highly principled.

“He has done the sons and daughters of Ibadanland proud. I am, therefore, very pleased with this title.”

In her own remark, the new Yeye Aare Atunluse, Chief Florence Ajimobi, noted that the recognition will make her and his husband work harder.

She said:” I and my husband deserve this honour because he works tirelessly day and night for the development of this State.

“I really appreciate the Olubadan of Ibadanland for honouring us.”

Evangelist Ebenezer Fabiyi (Obey) and Fuji Maestro, King Wasiu Ayinde, mounted the band stand, dishing out thrilling songs to entertain guests.

Several important personalities, who spoke to reporters at the event, commended Ajimobi for the giant strides he has made to change the face of Oyo State in the last two years

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Odegbami gave the commendation when he paid a courtesy call on the Governor in his office in Ibadan on Friday, during which he formally presented a book written by him entitled “Me, Football and More’’ to the Governor.

The “Mathematical Odegbami’’ as he was fondly called during his active days in football, said that having lived in Ibadan for so long during his football days and having known what the city used to look like, he was marvelled at the transformation of Ibadan to a modern state capital by the Ajimobi administration.

“I am happy that we have a Governor who is making waves; a Governor who is a beacon of our generation; we are very proud of you,’’ he remarked.

In his remarks, Governor Ajimobi thanked the former football star for his noble act and for his contributions to football in particular and sports in general in Nigeria and across the world.

“You gave us hope and you encouraged many of us in sports. You are from the family of sportsmen. There is nowhere they will mention soccer in Nigeria and even in the world that your name will not surface,’’ he said.

The Governor, who described Odegbami’s years in Ibadan as years of achievements and years of accomplishments, commended him for putting together his soccer experience in form of a book.

He promised to buy copies of the book for onward distribution to all the public secondary schools across the State, in order “to encourage sports, reading culture among students and to prove that many of our sportsmen and women are also intellectuals’’.

The ceremony, which is taking place at the Olubadan’s palace, Monatan in Ibadan, will witness the conferment of the title and the traditional decoration of the recipients with the Akoko leaves.

A statement issued on Tuesday by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, Dr. Festus Adedayo, said that the conferment of the chieftaincy titles was in recognition of the achievements recorded by the Governor in his two-year reign and Olubadan’s appreciation of the Governor’s developmental strides as an Ibadan man.

It also said that the title was in further appreciation of the Olubadan, the Olubadan-in-Council and the entire sons and daughters of Ibadan to Governor Ajimobi for the unprecedented infrastructural transformation that is taking place in Ibadan, the State capital.

The statement specifically mentioned the the beautification of Ibadan metropolis through the administration’s Urban Renewal Programme and the road dualizations which the government had embarked upon which have transformed it from the dirtiest city in Nigeria that it used to be, to a modern State capital.

It said that this development had once again put Ibadan, and indeed, the State on the world map, with investors from across the globe signifying their interests in supporting the Ajimobi administration in turning the economy of the State around.

This, the statement said, had motivated the Olubadan into conferring the title on the Governor as a proud son of Ibadan and a good ambassador of Oyo State.

It further said that the ceremony would be graced by eminent personalities from all walks of life, sons and daughters of Ibadan, representatives of corporate bodies, as well as other dignitaries from across the State.

He made this known at the end of a 3-day mid-term performance retreat for commissioners, Special Advisers and Senior Special Assistants of the Government held at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan.

While addressing the political appointees, the Governor said that gone were the days when the quality of political office holders contributed to the typecast of the State as backward, maintaining that in the last two years, the Government had succeeded in attracting quality and dedicated appointees.

At the retreat, all the appointees were asked to render their stewardship through power point presentations which were thereafter subjected to a rigorous critique by the members present.

Governor Ajimobi, who said that the purpose of the retreat was to do a self-assessment of his Government before communicating same to the people, maintained that the qualitative and quantitative assessments done during the retreat had shown that no Government, in the history of the State, had done so much in so short a time.

“The purpose of this retreat was to do a self-appraisal as it is done in all forward-looking human endeavours. And we needed to be scientific, so that we could have a statistical appraisal of what previous Governments had done in all sectors of the state’s economy and what we have done in the last two years. The comparative analyses we have done in the last three days have shown that we are on the right course and our people have not made a mistake in putting us here,” the Governor said.

While urging the appointees not to rest on their oars, the Governor said his resolve was for the administration to make a monumental difference in the administration of the State, expressing his happiness that in the last two years, his Government had established a concrete foundation that is unprecedented in the State.

Some of the political appointees spoken to commended the mid-term performance review retreat, stating that it succeeded in putting them on their toes to perform optimally for the benefit of the people of the State.

Consequently, he warned any individual or group bent on returning the State to the era of violence to steer clear of the State or be severely dealt with in accordance with the law.

The Governor stated these in his remarks shortly after being honoured with the title of Aare Asoludero (harbinger of peace) by the State Council of Tradesmen and Artisans at the Lekan Salami Sports Complex, Adamasingba, Ibadan on Thursday.

He noted that one of the major achievements of his administration in the last two years was the restoration of peace which, he said, had eluded the State for some years past.

Governor Ajimobi added that any move by any individual or group to truncate this feat and visit the State with violence again would not be accepted by his administration.

He said that the attainment of peace and security had served as the foundation for other developmental strides and good governance by his administration.

According to the Governor, the level he had taken governance of the State, it would be difficult for any politician of the old order to reverse the trend.

While berating politicians who take solace in brigandage that the era of thuggery had long past in the State, Ajimobi asked the tumultuous crowd that had come to honour him to interrogate anyone who comes to them to demand for votes and demand their antecedents and leadership pedigree, stating that the era of charlatans coming into power had long gone.

The Governor took the opportunity to announce to the public that the Olubadan of Ibadan had perfected plans to install him as the Aare Atunluto of Ibadanland.

Explaining the rationale for the chieftaincy which he said was an appreciation for the general uplift of the outlook of the State and Ibadan in particular, as well as the massive road construction going on in the State, Ajimobi berated politicians whose stock in trade was maligning the State’s Urban Renewal Programme, stating that they were self-seekers.

He thanked the artisans for the award bestowed on him and said that it was an appreciation of the fact that traders in the State, though aware of the momentary pains of the Urban Renewal Policy of the Government, were forward-looking and see the gains from the exercise to the people.

Governor Ajimobi, whose wife, Mrs. Florence Ajimobi was also honoured with the title of Yeye Asoludero of Oyo State, promised the traders and artisans a bus and other forms of assistance, particularly towards the completion of the council’s secretariat.

Earlier in his address, the President of the Council, Alhaji Talubi Eniola commended the Infrastructural Development Programme of the Ajimobi administration, adding that the Governor had recorded unprecedented achievement in the areas of security, education, health and poverty alleviation.

The Elders, under the aegis of Ibadan Elders’ Forum, gave the commendation in a letter dated 30^th April, 2013 and addressed the Governor.

In the letter signed by Ambassador Olusola Sanu and Chief Ona Ajibola, the Chairman and Secretary of the Forum respectively, said that the commendation was sequel to the decision taken at a meeting of the forum held in Ibadan on April 18, 2013.

According to them, the commendation had become necessary in view of the outstanding performance of the Governor and the monumental achievements he had recorded since his assumption of office two years ago.

They particularly commended the Governor for restoring peace, which they said had served as the foundation of the economic development of the State.

”Before your assumption of office, Oyo State faced serious security problems unleashed by armed robbers, political thugs as well as NURTW factions struggling for ascendancy. You have now changed the violent situation to a peaceful one.

You have restored peace and made good use of law enforcement agencies to ensure same. The notoriety of the NURTW factions has been checked and by so doing, you have ensured that miscreants are now allowed in any guise to make Oyo State a haven for their nefarious activities,’’ the elders noted.

The Governor, they also said, had changed the face of the State through his restoration and transformation agenda.

“Apart from the construction of a flyover at Mokola, you have rehabilitated/constructed or are rehabilitating/constructing many roads and bridges across the nooks and crannies of Oyo State. Drains were cleared, rivers, canals and streams were dredged to prevent flood.

“Much work has been done to improve the environment and people have been mobilized in various forms to partner with government to make the environment beautiful, clean and healthy. Positive impacts have been made in the sectors of health, education, agriculture, manpower development and skills acquisition.

Women generally and in particular, widows, able-bodied and disabled persons were not neglected. Provision of free transport for workers, regular payment of salaries and the 13^th month salary, training and retraining of personnel also featured. Retirees were not neglected,’’ they said.

According to the elders, Governor Ajimobi’s efforts had given Ibadan, and indeed, the entire State a facelift, adding “there is general cleanliness which all can attest to. You have taken a bold step politically and you have executed your vision with courage.

Your political detractors are already exploiting the situation because they looked at your transformation programmes from a narrow perspective.

As for Ibadan Elders’ Forum, we thank you for the encouraging developments you have embarked upon and for the steps you have taken to give Ibadan a new image. We note that you are the first Governor in Oyo State that has taken a very spirited effort to recognize that a clean environment is a contributory factor attracting foreign investors and ensuring sustainable economic development.”

“We are proud of you for having worked so hard to achieve enormous results,” the elders said, expressing the hope that what the Governor would do in the next two years would surpass what he had done in the first two years of his administration.

The inauguration which took place at the executive council chambers and was witnessed by representatives of market men and women from the 33 Local Government areas of the State.

The Council is headed by a popular Ibadan-based market leader, Alhaji Dauda Oladapo.

Speaking at the occasion, Governor Ajimobi charged the market leaders to be the mouthpiece of the state government among traders by explaining government’s polices to them.

He urged them to call government’s attention to any of its policy that needed to be put in proper order for the benefit of the people and consequently enjoined them to educate their members on the dangers inherent in street trading.

He called on traders in the state to continue to maintain peace for the socio-economic development of the State, stressing that there is the need for quarterly meeting between the market leaders’ Advisory Council and the Government.

The president of the Council, Alhaji Oladapo commended Governor Ajimobi for creating a conducive business atmosphere in the State.

He promised that the market men and women in the State would give the Government the necessary support to impact positively on the people of the State, adding that, the advisory Council would perform its duties efficiently.

Chief Mrs Labake Lawal emerged the first vice president while Alhaja Hamdalat Iyadunni Lawal emerged the second vice president. Comrade Isiaka Saliu was elected as secretary of the council

The State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi disclosed this in Ibadan on Tuesday while receiving a delegation of the Malaria Control Partners comprising the USAID Washington and President Malaria Initiative in his office.

Governor Ajimobi said that this was part of his administration’s efforts at revitalizing the health sector and improving the health status of the people of the State.

He said that under the new arrangement, medical doctors and other health practitioners would take over the equipping and the running of the hospitals while the State Government would subsidize the running cost in order to enhance easy accessibility for the citizenry.

“We have started to equip our hospitals. We are now going to introduce what we call Public Private Partnership in some of our health centres and hospitals.

“We will bring in doctors and practitioners who will equip and run the hospitals while the Government will subsidize the cost. We are starting with Adeoyo Hospital in the next three months,” he said.

Governor Ajimobi said his administration had taken a lot of steps to improve health care delivery in the State citing the free health mission initiative through which over half  a million people had been freely treated as one of the steps.

He commended the efforts of the Malaria Control Partners towards the eradication of malaria in Nigeria, while also pledging the support of his administration towards total eradication of the scourge in the State.

“We are committed to the eradication of malaria in Oyo State. Malaria is number one killer of our people, even more than AIDS. We will use everything we have to eradicate malaria.  We have taken a lot of steps towards improving the health status of the people of the State,” the Governor stated.

In his remarks the Presidential Malaria Advisor, Dr. George Greer lauded the efforts of the Ajimobi administration in malaria eradication, stressing that over N2billion had been invested in malaria control in the State.

“I want to express our appreciation to the Oyo State Government for its efforts in reducing the rate of malaria. The collaboration with your state has provided positive results and we will always give the State the necessary support in the eradication of malaria,” he said.

The net State Ambassador and wife of the State Governor, Mrs Florence Ajimobi said the mosquito treated nets had been widely accepted by the people of the State, adding that, by Year 2015, malaria would have been reduced to zero level.