LG polls: Oyo Govt approves N279.5m for production of ballot papers

. . . Approves N1.2bn for construction of new  Governor’s Lodge, Abuja

. . . To open two modern GRAs for Oyo residents

The Oyo State Executive Council has approved the sum of N279.2 million for the production of ballot papers to be used for forthcoming local government election.

The Oyo State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr.Wasiu Olatunbosun, who disclosed this while briefing journalists on the outcome of the 9th executive council meeting of year 2021, also stated that the production is directly awarded to the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC).

He said the government did this to show its seriousness and commitment towards conducting free and fair local government election.

He said: “The Council approved the production of ballot papers to be used for the forthcoming local government election, which is scheduled to hold on May 15, 2021. And the production is directly awarded to Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company.

“We did this to show how serious and transparent we are and how prepared this administration is towards the forthcoming election. We are giving the contract for the production out to a reputable printing company known for printing of security materials.

“In the past elections in the state, they made use of the government printing press, but, this time around, we want a third party to handle this sensitive material so that nobody will have access to the ballot papers.”

Also, the council approved the construction of a new Oyo State Governor’s Lodge at No 2, John Kadiya Close, Abuja, through alternative project funding approach (APFA) at the cost of N1,201,760,000.

The Commissioner for Public Works and Infrastructure, Prof. Kehinde Sangodoyin, who stated this while addressing newsmen on the outcome of the executive council meeting, added that the project will be completed in the next six months.

The commissioner stated that the lodge will have the Governor’s Lodge, Deputy Governor’s Lodge, some chalets, fittings and some furniture, which he said will be of modern type, adding that this is part of what the present administration will leave behind as legacy.

“The executive council has approved the construction of the new Governor’s Lodge at No 2. John Kadiya Close, Abuja, which is under APFA.

“The lodge has been there for a while and our government noticed the dilapidated condition. The new lodge will have the Governor’s Lodge, Deputy Governor’s Lodge, some chalets, fittings and some furniture, which will be of modern type. This is part of what the administration will leave behind.

“The edifice will cost the government of Oyo State the sum of N1,201,760,000 only. Once the construction has been awarded, the duration for the completion of the project is just six months. So, it is believed that six months after the award of the contract, the project will be completed and it will have the facilities I have mentioned earlier.”

Similarly, the Commissioner for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Barr. Abiodun Abdu-Raheem, said the council approved the construction of two modern Government Reserved Areas for residents of Oyo State, adding that new GRAs will be well-packaged so that they can meet the test of time.

He said the two GRAs are the late Lere Adigun GRA, which is behind the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS) and the other one is named after Senator Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, which is along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

“Furthermore, we have two GRAs that we have packaged in a way that shows a new narrative that is different from what we are used to.

“You know that the GRAs we have in Ibadan don’t have the infrastructure but the new ones we are bringing on board are well-packaged and they can meet the test of time.

“The GRAs on the ground now are late Lere Adigun GRA, which is behind BCOS, and the other one is named after Senator Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, which is along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. We have been welcoming applications on these GRAs.”

He also used the medium to explain the activities of the ministry and some products available for the benefit of the people of Oyo State

“This afternoon, we showcased the products of the Ministry in a very symbolic way and that is why we made a request that all members of the EXCO, including the governor, should dorn our customised shirts, which indicate that we are working for the state.

”We are with the good people of Oyo State, which is a sort of obligation on our part that, within a certain period of time, we are going to make some products available for the benefit of the people of Oyo State.”

He said that the ministry is vigorously marketing the payment of Land Use Charge, 60 days C of O and collection of land and property titles.

“We are using members of the Executive as a point of contact to the people with regards to our activities. We noticed that before the inception of this government, the trust index has been very low but we thank God that with the activities of the present government and other laudable programmes that this government is coming up with, the trust index has improved and we want to leverage on that to sell our products to the people.”