Borrowing is a mother of necessity in Osun – Aregbesola

The Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, on Tuesday said the dearth of infrastructural development in Osun State before 2010 necessitated the urgent need to borrow and change the face of the state.

He said borrowing to finance projects in the state was a child of necessity for speedy development at the point of his emergence.

The Governor made the remarks during the commissioning of 61 primary healthcare centres at Ijebu-ijesa, Osun State, in partnership with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), saying his administration had been consistent in contributing 50 per cent counterpart fund in every project.

Aregbesola added that the maladministration of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in the state between 2003 and 2010 responsible for the urgent intervention by his administration.

According to him, Osun State was seriously lagging behind other states in the federation in terms of infrastructural development before 2010 due to poor management of resources by the PDP government.

“Our administration did not go for borrowing for any other thing than to rescue the state and her people from poverty they were plunged to when we assumed office.

“On assumption of office in 2010, the terrible status of the state’s treasury propelled us to go for borrowing to bring to our people the required infrastructural facility which they had been deprived in the previous administration.

“Today, Osun would not have become a cynosure of all eyes as it, if we did not take the bold steps we took to stimulate her economy through financial re-engineering.

“Our state can now boast of unprecedented developmental projects across all sectors, ” Aregbesola said.

Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on SDGs, Dr Folawiyo Olajoku, in his remarks disclosed that , aside the building of the PHCs, SDGs has also procured and distributed over N3million worth of drugs to the people of the state.

Olajoku further explained that SDGs has recruited over 400 healthcare workers, procured ambulances and has constructed and renovated over 47 classrooms in elementary and middle schools in the state.

He maintained that the agency has discharged its responsibilities to the people of the state in all aspects, particularly in education and health sectors.