Oke, who joined the All Progressives Congress from the PDP shortly after the Presidential election in March, also called on all well-meaning citizens of the state to advise the governor on the proper use of the bailout.
In a statement issued on Friday by his media aide, Mr. Rotimi Ogunleye, the APC chieftain said, "Now that huge resources will accrue to the coffers of the state, it will serve the purpose of posterity if the fund is used to defray all the arrears of workers' salaries, invested in income generating and social service delivery assets and channelled to projects that have long standing economic benefits for the state."
The statement added, "With the benefit of hindsight, we hope the governor will by now appreciate the need to invest public fund in those social amenities and economic assets such as Owena Dam, Olokola Free Trade Zone, Cassava Processing Industry, Okitipupa, Idanre lnternational Golf Centre and Alfa 3D Company that Mimiko abandoned.
"These projects have the capacity to provide jobs and impact greatly on the economy of the people of the state if completed. For instance, Owena Dam, if it was not abandoned, would have provided water for eight local government areas, thereby sparing government the cost of bore-hole drilling and endless maintenance cost on them. This would have also reduced the burden of the people in the eight local government areas of the state.
While commending President Muhammadu Buhari for releasing the bailout, the APC chieftain said "the bailout approved by Mr. President and ready for collection is in the interest of Ondo State workers and our people in general."
PUNCH.
