Our popularity, acceptance continue to soar in spite of economic challenges, says Aregbesola

The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on Saturday asserted that regardless of  the present economic challenges his administration has maintained its popularity, love and acceptability from the citizenry.

He said this has been demonstrated by the number of people who usually troop out to receive and cheer him whenever he has cause to mingle with the citizens of the state.

Governor Aregbesola disclosed this while addressing a gathering shortly after an endurance trek organised in commemoration of his 60th Birthday Anniversary.

The ancient town of Osogbo, had earlier in the morning been agog with crowd of people who trooped out in large number in virtually all streets in the state capital to cheer Governor Aregbesola.

Majority of the residents of the town engaged in nothing less than three hours endurance trek with Mr Governor as part of efforts to demonstrate their solidarity and love to the present administration.

The endurance trek was part of the activities lined up to commemorate the 60th birthday anniversary of the Governor.

The train of the 9.5km endurance trek commenced around 9:00am at Government House and terminated at Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo at few minutes after 12:00pm.

The endurance trek tagged (Ogbeni walk for live) had the longest kilometres in the history of the exercise in the state.

Aregbesola’s friends, political associates and sympathisers of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were among the people that accompanied The Governor through the routes designated for the trek.

The Governor who led the endurance trek alongside his Deputy, Mrs Titilayo Laoye Tomori, Speaker Osun House of Assembly, Hon. Najeem Salam, his Deputy, Hon. Akintunde Adegboye, Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, Chief of Staff to the Governor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola.

Others are: Head of Service, Mr Sunday Owoeye, Chairman Osun Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Gboyega Famodun, members of the newly confirmed State Executive Council, APC loyalists, Aregbesola well-wishers among others.

The trek was held through several routes in the state capital which include; Okefia, Alekuwodo, Olaiya, Odi-Olowo, Jaleoyemi junction, Asubiaro, Isale-Osun, Oja-Oba, Plantation area, hamaddiyah area, Sabo area, Ayetoro, Igbonna, Ajegunle and Old garage, all in Osogbo.

Aside the residents of the town that accompanied Mr Governor in the endurance trek, thousands of the Osogbo Indigenes were also seen lined up in all the routes of the trek.

The people of the town were seen waving and dangling their brooms in the air to demostrate their unflinching support to Aregbesola’s administration.

The residents both old and young were singing several solidarity songs while others were ecstaticly dancing.

Shortly after some physical exercises at the terminal point (Nelson Mandela Freedom Park), Aregbesola commended the people of the state on their continued supports.

Aregbesola who described the confidence reposed in him by the people of the state as unparalleled said his administration had enjoyed full support from the good people of the state.

He said no leader in Nigeria and Africa has received the kind of acceptability and love given to him by the people of the state in the last six years of his administration.

Aregbesola who had earlier walked for about 9.5km within Osogbo, the state capital, said no Governor or leader in Africa has ever walked freely with their people as being done by his administration.

He said his government had engaged in several endurance treks running to 101km since inception, a feat which he described as unprecedented in the socio-political history of the black race.

Aregbesola who attributed the continued love and support received from Osun people to his people-oriented policies and programmes, said he has sustained the tempo of good leadership and governance in the state.

According to him, ” the number of people who often troop out to receive us each time we have the opportunity and privilege to identify with the citizens remain a clear testimony to unparalleled love and acceptability enjoying by our administration.

“I am always amazed each time I see myself in the midst of people showing their loves and supports to our administration. To me, it beyond human imagination. But I know it is God because we are the only government in Nigeria and Africa that has ever maintained closest relationship to the people.

“Nobody or government has ever in the history of Africa achieved this feat. No government has ever engaged in the number of endurance trek as being done by our administration.

“No government has ever identified with the people as we did, and also no government in the history of Osun and Nigeria has ever moved closer to the people as we did.

“We are the only state in Nigeria that has made this accomplishment and we are the only government to embark on 101km walk called endurance trek within six years of governance in the whole Africa.

“We have made the records because no government in Nigeria has ever embarked on endurance trek with such long distance of kilometre as we did.

“Our popularity and acceptance had been put to test through this activity which we designed not only to improve healthy living but to restore hope in our people and as well as identify with their challenges and needs.

“We have successfully incorporated masses into all our policies and programmes as many of our projects are designed to banish poverty, hunger, unemployment and as well make life more meaningful and abundant for the citizenry”, he added.

Governor Aregbesola who recalled some of his achievements in the last six years, said no government has done average of what he accomplished since the creation of the state.

Aregbesola who described the quality of his projects like roads, schools among others as enduring said his government through the construction of roads, has provided for future population explosion in the state.

He said, “We have taken our people out of poverty, hunger and retrogression through our policies painstakingly designed to build a  new man, full of hope and abundance”.

Aregbsola who described the road to his emergence in 2010 as “most rough, thorny and challenging”, praised God for using him to restore peace and abundance to the lives of the people of the state.

Aregbesola who promised to complete all the ongoing projects in the state, said, “we will not relent to ensure that our legacies projects (ongoing and already completed) are put into use before the expiration of our administration.

Speaking on his successor, Aregbesola called on the people to discountenance the antics of the political traducers who according to him are destroying the image of his administration for personal political gains.

He therefore sought for unalloyed support and collaboration of the people of the state as he continues to bring smiles into the faces of all and sundry.