Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has been accused of overburdening residents of the state with multiple taxation, hereby aggravating the spate of poverty in the state
Zadok Akintoye, the Media and Publicity Secretary of the Ondo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, made this known in Akure while speaking with the members of Nigeria Guild of Investigative Journalists, NGIJ.
He said the Akeredolu administration has further impoverished the State and its people, as they are been forced to pay from their noses, despite the people of the State lacking basic amenities they ought to have been enjoying as the dividend of democracy.
He stressed that the Akeredolu administration has been embarking on white Elephant projects that has no meaningful impact on the ordinary people of the State.
“The ongoing Ore bridge construction has been shrouded in secrecy with the Akeredolu administration been economical with the truth on the actual amount budgeted for the project, likewise other projects in the State”, Ondo PDP said.
Meanwhile, the ruling All Progressive Congress, (APC) has refuted the claim, insisting that the government has been prudent with the state resources.
Alex Kalejaye, APC spokesman in the state said Akeredolu’s administration has implemented a lot of infrastructural projects across the State.
He chided the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and described its members as opposition who will never see anything good in what the government is doing.
” Nothing good comes easy. As regards to the taxation, at least the people are seeing what the government is doing with the taxes”, APC said.
The APC spokesman added that quality education is not cheap.
” You can’t expect something good from the opposition, that is why they are attacking the government wrongly”, APC spokesman further said
He noted that Governor Akeredolu has constructed many roads than other past governors in the state.
“The road to Oke Alabojuto in Ikare, Iwaro in Oka, Ifon an outlet lane which was a death trap has been completed. Also, the roads to Ajekunle, Ogbonmo, Ikare, Arakale, Idanre Oda Road have all been constructed by Arakunrin Akeredolu administration”, Kalejaye added.
While speaking, the President of Nigerian Guild Of Investigative Journalists (NGIJ) , Wale Abydeen, said their members have been deployed to eighteen local government areas of the state to administer questionnaires on the performance of the government in the state among the residents.