Nigeria Content Online

Governor Rauf Aregbesola, of Osun
State, yesterday expressed satisfaction with officials of the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the success of
the just concluded voter registration exercise in the state.

Speaking with journalists at the
presidential wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, Mr Aregbesola
said that his administration worked closely with the INEC officers to
ensure that citizens of the state are registered en-mass for the forth
coming general elections in the country. “The registration exercise
went well in my state from all indications, but I cannot talk about
other states,” he said. “We worked very very cooperatively with INEC
officers in the state and the reports reaching me from them today are
quite favourable in terms of response of the people, cooperation with
INEC, and the general attitude of the electorate in Osun State. In fact
it went well.”

The governor, while exhibiting
confidence following the turnout of voters that registered in the
state, said that the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) will continue in
its drive to conquering more states across the federation, adding that
after the general elections, the party will become the ruling political
platform in Nigeria. “I think every human being would be happy to have
an increase either in its fortune or corporation; and as for a
political party, to have an increase or strengthening of its support
base,” he said. “So I pray that we keep increasing in our hold and
reach and development such that by the end of April we would be the
party that would have the mandate to rule Nigeria.”

State finances

While appraising his performance since
the resumption of office, the governor said that his administration is
working towards increasing the state’s revenue to N1billion before the
end of 2011. “What I said was that I have concluded in terms of
checking what went wrong with the finances of the state, and I told
some journalists of my expectations about the revenue of the state that
hopefully by the end of this year I think I should have increased the
revenue generation capacity of the state to about a billion naira,” he
said. “With the new revenue, the state would have been able to position
itself to move actively in the direction of ensuring freedom for all
with lot more abundance for the citizens. As to how I want to make up
for the depletion in the general resources base of the state,
particularly the suffocating loan obtained by my predecessor, I am
looking at several options and we are still on it.”