Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, CON, has revealed his administration’s commitment to programs and policies that will secure the lives and future of Children in the State.
Akeredolu made this revelation in his 2023 Children’s Day message where he described how deliberate investments made in Education, Health and Infrastructure will have fruitful effects on future generations.
He said “in our six years in the saddle, we have reconstructed and renovated over 800 Public Primary Schools. We understand the importance of building a formidable foundation for our Children, especially at the Basic Education Level.”
“In view of this, we didn’t only reconstruct blocks of classroom; we also constructed perimeter fence for the security of our Children. Our Public Schools are equipped with new ICT centre, playground equipment and modern toilets.
“We also employed qualified teachers through the State Universal Basic Education Board to bridge the long-time shortage of teachers in our schools.
“We put all these in place to create a conducive learning environment for our Children and nurture their quest for a better education and good living. Our administration is determined to commit more resources to this vision.”
Akeredolu also talked about the huge investment made into the health sector for the purpose of building a strong and healthy future for children in the state
“Our Primary Health Care delivery service has since received a major boost. Only recently, the Ondo State Primary Health Development Agency won the Best Leadership Challenge Award in the South West with a Cash Award of Five Hundred Thousand US Dollars ($500,000).”
“The Primary Health Care (PHC) Leadership Challenge Fund is a flagship programme of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) to revamp the Primary Health Care Under One Roof (PHCUOR) policy in the country by maximizing the commitment of state Governors to promoting a progressive increase in PHC funding, and ensuring all primary healthcare centres have the requisite human resource capacity.”
“The Challenge is a joint project of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the Dangote Foundation and the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA).
“Ondo State emerged first in the Southwest with a Cash Award of Five Hundred Thousand US Dollars ($500,000). This attested to our commitment in investing in the Primary Health Care service for our Pregnant women and Children.
“Aside, our administration has put in place the Abiyamo Maternal & Child Health Insurance Scheme (AMCHIS) as a State Equity Scheme for two sets of Vulnerables – Pregnant women and Under-5 children. This program is fully funded by the State Government.
“We have also continued to build infrastructure that will serve the next generation and sustain the economy and development of our dear State. These and more we are doing, bearing in mind that the future of our Children is the most important investment.”
