Setting Second Term Agenda for Ondo Gov Aiyedatiwa

Fidelis David reports that history was made on Monday with the swearing-in of Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa as the Seventh Executive Governor of Ondo State amid high expectations from the people of the Sunshine State.

Following his victory in the November 16, 2024 governorship poll in Ondo state, Lucky Aiyedatiwa was on Monday, February 24, 2025 sworn-in as the seventh executive governor of the state.

Precisely, since the creation of Ondo State on 3rd of February 1976, by the military administration of General Murtala Muhammed, 19 people have served as governor; 12 military governors and seven civilian governors, including Governor Aiyedatiwa, who was sworn in on the 27th of December 2023 to complete the tenure of late Governor OluwarotimiAkeredolu who died in 2023 after a prolonged illness.

Aiyedatiwa was selected as the running mate of late Governor Akeredolu in the 2020 Ondo State gubernatorial election. On 11 October 2020, Akeredolu and Aiyedatiwa were elected governor and deputy governor of the State to complete the second term tenure of Akeredolu.

However, two years on, things turned sour between Aiyedatiwa and Akeredolu during the latter’s medical vacation to Germany and transmitted power to Aiyedatiwa, but some aides of the late governor, who spotted Aiyedatiwa’s ambition, pushed for his impeachment and tried to ease him out of government but Aiyedatiwa survived the onslaught.

As history will have it, on December 27, 2023, Aiyedatiwa was sworn-in as governor of Ondo state following the death of his principal, Akeredolu who died after a protracted illness, thus, allowing Aiyedatiwa to complete their joint tenure by February, 2025.

Overview of 2024 politics

Particularly, that Aiyedatiwa braved all odds to emerge victorious in the governorship election, winning in all the 18 local government areas of the state signposted that he’s destined to reign.

Aiyedatiwa polled 366,781 votes to defeat his closest rival and a former deputy governor of the state, AjayiAgboola who flew the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flag. He scored 117,845 votes, more than twice lower than that of the APC candidate.

His victory did not, however, come easy as he faced so many hurdles in his attempt to seek the mandate of the people of Ondo State for the exalted office of the governor.

The hurdles ranged from attempted impeachment to undermining his office as the acting governor, among several attempts to smear his name, prior to the governorship polls due to the health challenges faced by his principal, Akeredolu who died on December 26, 2023 after a brief illness.

Besides, for Aiyedatiwa, who was appointed deputy governor after the removal of AgboolaAjayi, the erstwhile occupant of the office, his road to the Alagbaka Government House did not just come on a platter of gold. He battled 15 other aspirants to secure the ticket of his party, All Progressives Congress (APC).

He clinched the ticket with a resounding victory, amassing a total of 48,569 votes in the governorship primaries, with his closest contender, MayowaAkinfolarin, trailing behind him with 15,343 votes, while Chief OlusolaOke placed third with 14,865 votes.

Aiyedatiwa’s Swearing-in

Aiyedatiwa’s swearing-in took place at the Ondo State Sports Complex in Akure, the state capital, two months after he won the November 16 governorship election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Aiyedatiwa took his oath of office just after that of his running mate, OlayideAdelami around 1 pm and later rode in an open van around the complex, waving to cheers from supporters.

The ceremony was attended by several dignitaries including the Chairman of the APC,  DrAbdullahiGanduje, Governor BabajideSanwo-Olu of Lagos State, BiodunOyebanji of Ekiti, former governor, BisiAkande (Osun), Dr Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo), Olusegun Osoba (Ogun), Minister of Interior, OlubunmiTunji-Ojo, Minister of Youth, AyodeleOlawande, Deputy Governor of Edo State, Felix Idahosa, among others.

Speaking after his inauguration, Aiyedatiwa vowed that he will continue to prioritize the welfare of the people of the coastal state, foster economic growth and ensure that the state remains a beacon of hope and prosperity for generations to come.

“We are in a hurry to justify this fresh mandate entrusted to us.  In the next four years, we will work with interested investors and our development partners in ensuring that our Port Ondo becomes a reality. We will also facilitate investors to explore our large deposits of bitumen for local use and export purposes, thereby generating huge revenue to the State. This has been the vision and goals of our founding fathers. There is no doubt that this would not be an easy task but we are prepared to frontally confront these challenges and succeed.”

Moving beyond rhetoric

Now that he has been sworn-in, focus must shift to the legacy he wishes to leave behind. Particularly, the trust and confidence reposed in the party by the electorate should not be taken for granted.

A Yoruba adage says “if one of your relatives is eating harmful insects and you do not warn him, when he contacts a cough, the noise in his chest will not let you sleep”. (Bi araileeni ban je kokorobuburu, bi a kotete so fun, kerekuru re koni je ki a sun l’oru). Before Aiyedatiwa embark on eating harmful insects, it will be wiser to warm him.

Particularly, Ondo’s problems appear to be mounting by the day and it would be a herculean task for anyone to address them all.

On several occasions, Aiyedatiwa had promised to continue to build on the worthy legacies of the founding fathers and former governors, noting the commitment of his administration to maximising the potential of the State for the benefit of the generality of the people.

His agenda has a framework for the economic, social, political and industrial emancipation of the state thereby freeing the citizenry from the evils of wants, poverty and economic exploitation.

His agenda rooted in a commitment to transforming Ondo State into a beacon of progress, equity, and sustainable development. With a focus on economic growth, social inclusion, and infrastructural advancement, the agenda outlines a clear roadmap to elevate the quality of life for all citizens.

Aiyedatiwa’s seven pointsaganda

Aiyedatiwa’s administration New Development Agenda, ‘O’ Datiwa, O’ Dirorun’ (OUR EASE), focuses on seven key pillars:  Order, Security, and Rule of Law; Urban/Rural Development via Agriculture and Blue Economy; Revolutionary Tech Advancement and Industrialization.

Others include, Efficient Healthcare and Socio-Economic Welfare; Adequate Power and Affordable Energy; Sustainable Infrastructure Development and Tourism, as well as  Education, Human Capital Development, and Entrepreneurship.

It is a dog in whose speed one has faith that one sends to hunt hare, perhaps, that made Aiyedatiwa the preferred choice for the people of the sunshine state. Therefore, he must move beyond rhetoric and put smiles on the faces of the people of the state through it’s constitutional responsibilities. 

Economic burdens

Ondo State is still facing a number of economic burdens, ranging from high unemployment, over dependence on federal allocation, poor macro-economic management, poor standard of living occasioned by a number of factors, among others.

Appointment of barren brains

If Aiyedatiwa wants success, he must appoint qualified, agile, reputable and competent people as cabinet members  rather than using such position to compensate bigwigs, cabals and godfathers thereby leading to the appointment of naive, incompetent, and barren brains into sensitive positions.

In other words, the people of the coastal state want patriotic people who will avoid the usual characteristics malady of saying “Ogasope” (the boss said) and outright display of intellectual barrenness and sluggishness.

Aiyedatiwa must be prepared to build a state that is strong, dynamic, progressive, truly independent, self-sufficient, scientifically and technologically great and ever ready to carve a niche for itself in the history of Nigeria and the world as a whole.

If he must succeed, there must be a synergy between the Executive and Legislative arms of government in advancing Aiyedatiwa’s development agenda.

Completing abandoned road projects

Inadequate infrastructure has hindered economic activities and access to essential services in many communities in the 18 council areas of the state, thus, all infrastructural projects promised to be completed by Aiyedatiwa must be given priority.

Notably are road projects across the state which include the 4.0km Akure – Oda Dual carriageway; the second flyover and junction improvement at Onyeagbulem – Shagari/Irese Road along Ilesha – Akure – Owo Expressway, Akure that spans approximately 570m; the 8.135km Dual carriageway from Oba Adesida (A Division) – Oba Osupa (Hospital) Road – Oluwatuyi – Ijoka (OkeIya junction) with spur to Alafiatayo Roundabout and IdiagbaTitun, among others.

In tackling abandoned road projects, the governor must note that the road construction behind SIB in Akure has been abandoned with residents are groaning during both the dry and rainy seasons while Ijoka and Oda roads have deteriorated into a nightmare due to neglect.

The over 155km rural roads awarded in collaboration with the World Bank assisted project of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP) are already abandoned. Of note is the 15.5km Oda Cocoa Board – Camp 2 – Langbodo Road at Oda town,  inAkure South Local Government Area.

Fulfilling his campaign promises

Aiyedatiwa must be reminded that during his electioneering campaign, he promised to dualize the Akure-Idanre road aimed at significantly enhancing transportation, particularly for investors keen on exploring tourism opportunities in Idanre Local Government Area.

It was also part of his promises to dualize the Akungba-Ikare road which he said will start from IkareAkoko and run through the main gate of the AdekunleAjasin University, Akungba-Akoko. These among other promises to the people of Ondo must be fulfilled.

Security Threat

Indispensably, insecurity is becoming a serious threat to the sunshine state, in spite of government efforts. Of note is that the unprecedented increase in killing and kidnapping is defying the sustained narrative among analysts that Ondo is relatively peaceful. Thus, Aiyedatiwa must act fast by empowering and giving a matching order to all the security agencies in the state to address the ugly trend.

Despite being an oil producing state, it is quite shameful to know that the State Police command has no surveillance drone to ease its operation and most divisional police stations have no patrol vehicles.

Health Initiative

The health sector is not anything better. Particularly, the mother-and-child healthcare programs which was once the pride of Ondo State has dwindled into obscurity. Therefore, Aiyedatiwa health initiative must focus on reduction of child mortality; improve maternal health, and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.

Finally, the people of the sunshine state expect nothing short of a proactive, deligent and pragmatic government from Lucky Aiyedatiwa.