The Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has commended former governor Rauf Aregbesola, for his achievements as Minister of Interior.
According to Adeleke, the people of Osun State love Aregbesola and he is free to come to the state unfettered.
He added that he was completing unfinished projects from Aregbesola’s administration.
Adeleke spoke on Tuesday in Ilesa, at the inauguration of the Ilesa Passport Front Office and Production Centre of the Nigeria Immigration Service in Ilesa, Osun State.
Adeleke said,
“No matter the party you are, if you are a progressive, you are a progressive, if you are doing what the people want. When he (Aregbesola) was governor, he loved the people and the people loved him. All the projects Ogbeni left, it was abandoned for years. I promised the people during my campaign that I was going to continue the projects, that is what I am doing.
“As a civilised person, no matter the party you are, you will always love progress. That is what I will always continue to ensure that all developmental projects are continued. As a federal minister from the state, we are proud of your achievements and we will continue to be proud of you.
“Mr Minister, I am assuring you that this is your state, nobody can chase you away. This is your state, you are welcome at anytime. Even, you can come around to the Government House. When I complete all of the structures I am currently working on at the Government House, I will personally invite you to inaugurate it.”
Speaking earlier, Aregbesola explained that the surge in the number of applications for passport, made establishment of more passport front offices across the country a necessity.
He said many of such centres would still be needed to accommodate the huge number of those applying for passport and to reduce the waiting time before data capture to the barest minimum.
Aregbesola stated,
“Our target is to reduce the waiting period for biometric data capture to not more than one week, after application. The Passport Front Office we are commissioning today is one of the ways we are responding to increased demand for passport, especially to reduce the waiting time for biometric data capture.
“We have opened this front office in Alimosho, Katsina, Zaria, Daura and in several Nigerian missions abroad in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, where the enhanced passport is being rolled out.”