PDP candidate in Ondo promises robust agricultural initiatives if elected governor

Agboola Ajayi, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for the November 14 governorship election in Ondo State, has promised to make agriculture in the state more attractive if elected.

Mr Ajayi made the pledge while addressing journalists at the Nigerian Union of Journalists State Secretariat in Akure on Wednesday.

The PDP governorship candidate, who said the state could feed the entire southwestern US if enough was invested in agriculture, accused the current administration of doing less to encourage more people to take up agriculture.

He said: “There is not a single tractor available to farmers in Ondo State. So, how do you expect mechanized farming to flourish in such a state? I believe Ondo State can feed the entire Southwest. My administration will encourage large scale mechanized farming, farmers will be provided with adequate facilities to sustain their businesses.’’

Mr Ajayi, a former deputy governor of the state, said he entered the race because of his vision for the state’s economic transformation and inclusivity, including sustainable growth.

The candidate, who was also a former deputy governor during the first term of late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, vowed to tackle the naval invasion in Aiyetoro, Ilaje Local Government Area of ​​the state within his first year in office.

The former House of Representatives member said economic growth is the most powerful tool to reduce poverty and improve people’s well-being.

He added that as a politician at the local level, he understood what was needed to revive the state’s economy.

Mr Ajayi assured that the sports sector would be revamped and promised to ensure the construction of a modern sports village in the state to groom future champions.

He stated: “I am going on a journey that will totally transform Ondo State; a journey that will give us a state to be proud of. We will not give our people fish, but we will teach them how to catch fish.”

The former Ese-Odo Local Government Chairman also said he entered politics at a young age as a ward chairman and was confident he would win the election.

Earlier, during the presentation of the PDP candidate, Eddy Olafeso, the party’s current Zonal Liaison Desk Officer in the South-West, described Mr Ajayi as unyielding, tenacious and a never-give-up.

“It’s not about your size or height, it’s about what’s in your heart. If you are fearless, you can conquer the world and that’s what Agboola Ajayi stands for. We were very open in our primaries. Our own Congress was not the type that was written in space without elections,” he said.

Mr Olafeso said agriculture remains central to Nigeria’s national identity, adding that the All Progressives Congress government, particularly in Ondo State, could hardly be said to have made agriculture a priority.

(NAN)