Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has said his administration is committed to giving priority to programs and policies that will secure the lives and future of children in the state.
Akeredolu, who stated this in his 2023 Children’s Day message, said deliberate investment in Education, Health, and Infrastructure will have fruitful effects on future generations.
The Governor, in the statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde, said his administration is committed to massive investment in the children’s future and noted that his government had recorded huge investments in education, health, and infrastructure.
Akeredolu 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 the classroom; we also constructed a perimeter fence for the security of our children. Our public schools are equipped with new ICT centres, 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 better education and good living. Our administration is determined to commit more resources to this vision.
“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 maximising 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 $500,000. This attested to our commitment to 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.” The Governor said.
While describing the children as precious gifts from God and future leaders, the Governor assured that his administration will continue to give special attention to issues concerning children.
He charged the children to always be of good character and shun bad company, adding that their studies should be the most important to them.
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