 |
| Abayomi mimiko |
Former Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) governorship candidate in Ondo State, Abass Mimiko, has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu deserves a second term in office, urging Nigerians to give the administration more time to consolidate its reforms.
Mimiko made the statement during an interaction with members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ondo State Council, in Ondo town.
He said the Tinubu administration inherited serious economic challenges that required difficult decisions, including the removal of the petrol subsidy.
According to him, Nigerians should consider what the country’s situation might have been if some of the reforms had not been implemented.
Mimiko also called on state governors to account for the increased funds available to their governments, saying the Federal Government should not be blamed for every hardship experienced by citizens.
He said governors had a responsibility to ensure that increased allocations translated into better living conditions, infrastructure and social services.
Despite his support for Tinubu’s second-term bid, Mimiko said he remained a member of the Zenith Labour Party.
He also disclosed that he was working on the formation of the One Love Coalition, a platform he said would mobilise Nigerians outside the All Progressives Congress (APC) in support of Tinubu.
Mimiko said the coalition was not being established for political appointments or government patronage, but to mobilise support around what he described as the need for continuity of the administration’s reforms.
He also advocated restructuring and greater devolution of powers to state and local governments, saying governance should be brought closer to the people.
On education in Ondo State, Mimiko urged Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to prioritise existing tertiary institutions rather than focusing on establishing new ones.
He expressed concern over the reported loss of lecturers at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, the Federal Polytechnic, Owo, and the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo.
Mimiko said the state government should invest more in existing institutions and create conditions that would encourage academic staff to remain in the state.
He argued that the focus should be on improving the quality and capacity of existing institutions rather than simply increasing their number.
Mimiko also acknowledged some initiatives of the Aiyedatiwa administration, including the proposed free trade zone, while saying there were areas where he would have adopted a different approach.
He said that if he were governor, he would place strong emphasis on education and human capital development in Ondo State.