Ondo among poorest states – APC chief

A Leader of the All Progressives Congress in Ondo State, Odunayo Akinrinsola, has portrayed the state as one of the poorest in the nation in spite of being an oil-producing state.
Akinrinsola said this while addressing journalists on Saturday.
He said it was appalling that in spite of the billions of Naira received by the state for being an oil-delivering state, Ondo had joined the group of states that couldn’t pay salaries as at when due.
He said the Olusegun Mimiko administration had failed to create an enabling atmosphere for businesses to flourish and that was the reason the state had remained a ‘civil servants’ state.
He further said, “Ondo State is one of the poorest states in the country. In case you’re in Lagos and you need to board a plane to Ondo State, scarcely will you see a plane taking you to Akure. It is just the Government Officials that travel. Scarcely will you see a business flight plying the Abuja-Akure route. In this way, it shows that nothing is happening in Ondo State.
“The state is languishing in poverty because the government of the day is not addressing what needs to be addressed. What is the Internally Generated Revenue of Ondo State? Where are the companies that you will tax? What is working? Before you can increase the IGR, you must create an enabling environment and provide infrastructure. Basic amenities must be there and you must address many other issues.”
Akinrinsola said the state must be in the same party with the Federal Government keeping in mind the end goal to have the capacity to appreciate the advantages of the ‘change’.
He said it would be unfair for the Peoples Democratic Party to keep controlling the state beyond 2016.