By Sunday Olugbenga Abire
Like the travail of a woman experiencing excruciating pains while attempting to birth her child, Ondo State went through hard times during the inglorious era of thick and divisive politicking that stalled governance for almost a whole year.
As a true light after the tunnel, the divine emergence of Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa as Ondo state Governor brought a soothing balm to the state. From the mouth of babies and sucklings as the good book has said, God has ordained praise because of His enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. ‘O’datiwa O’dirọrun’ resonates so high in hope like the utopia everyone had envisaged. In actions and thoughts, Aiyedatiwa reflects the joy of inclusion that comes with his nomenclature.
In a carnival-like manner, Aiyedatiwa was ushered into the state by supporters of the Deputy Governor, Dr Olayide Adelami and the Secretary to the State Government, Hon. Tayo Oluwatuyi, at the Akure Airport. The mammoth crowd littered everywhere, chanting songs of praise for a leader who had made great political choices. They couldn’t stop thanking him as they rode with him triumphantly into the city of Akure.
This week’s exposition of the WEEKLY INSIGHTS from Alagbaka will be quite enthralling and reassuring. Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa swiftly moved to Oda road and Irese/Shagari flyover to inspect ongoing road projects while ascertaining the level of progress in compliance with his ‘go back to site’ order. The Governor had a first-hand assessment of projects and reassured the citizens of the speedy delivery of all projects on or before the expected date. One would ask why a Governor would roll his sleeves on a Monday to ensure that his order was carried out as directed. If it’s not the passion to serve the people who God has raised him to lead, I do not know why a Governor wouldn’t be comfortable drinking coffee in his office on a Monday. A man who knows how do deliver will always get more responsibilities.
However, a delegation of lawmakers led by Rt. Hon Adeoye Aribasoye, Chairman of South West Conference of Speakers and Ekiti state House of Assembly Speaker led his members who were accompanied by their Ondo state counterparts for a condolence and advocacy visit to the Governor of Ondo State in his Alagbaka office. Enhanced collaboration, full implementation of autonomy, synergy between the Executive and Legislative arms topped the discussions between the legislators and the Governor.
In the week, the Governor declared a decisive state of emergency on education as he received members of Governing Councils of University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba Akoko and Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa. With the release of 250 million naira fund for the Faculty of Pharmacy at UNIMED, a whopping sum of 1billion naira for the construction of a Senate Building at UNIMED announced at the 5th convocation ceremony of the University of Medical sciences, commissioning of Kamomi Aketi Accelerated Water Scheme, Learning Resource Center and Multidisciplinary Laboratory Complex at UNIMED, Aiyedatiwa has raised the bar of quality education as he assured other state owned institutions of his unrelenting patronage and support at all times. It is interesting to note that UNIMED produced the first set of Medical Doctors and Dental Surgeons trained on Ondo soil this year.
In a related development, Governor Aiyedatiwa vowed that his administration will put an end to the shortage of teachers in public primary and secondary schools in the state when the Nigeria Union of Teachers paid him a courtesy visit during the week. The same vow was re-echoed when the Muslim leaders in the state paid him a visit.
The primary responsibility of government is the protection of lives and properties of the citizens. Aware of the renewed hostility of the men of the underworld, the Governor has charged all security agents and agencies in the state to live up to their expectations. While charging Amotekun operatives to join in the rescue of school children abducted in Ekiti state, the Governor has expressed readiness to preempt an occurrence of such in Ondo state.
Aiyedatiwa who is gradually simplifying governance and setting up the accoutrements of governance in consonance with the dictate of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, had a swearing-in ceremony for the new Deputy Governor, Dr Olayide Adelami who’s expected to take up responsibilities as the Deputy Governor of Ondo State henceforth. The ceremony was not just well attended but was also colourful, depicting a beautiful end to the sordid past as well as the vacuum created by the demise of Arakunrin Odunayo Akeredolu SAN, CON.
The untiring Aiyedatiwa raced up North to partake in an electioneering campaign involving his party, the APC, in the Saturday by-election into the vacant position of House of Representatives in Akoko North East /West Federal Constituency. As a leader and a committed party man who doesn’t shirk from responsibilities, Aiyedatiwa personally left for Akoko to drum massive support for the party’s candidate, Mr Ife Ehindero.
As ‘O’datiwa O’dirọrun’ becomes a soothing euphony everywhere in Ondo state, politically exposed individuals are curious to know why it rings a bell among the children, men, women and youths like ‘Iroko gbasibe’ of 2007. There is just one denominator and it’s the undiluted passion with which Governor Aiyedatiwa serves the people of Ondo state in all ramifications.
The Governor received different groups of visitors during the week among who were APC youth leaders across the 18 Local Government, APC stakeholders from Akoko South East Local Government, members of Nigeria Union of Teachers, the Deji of Akure, the Obaloogun of Igoba, Oba John Adinlewa Adeniyi and his chiefs, the chief Imam of Akure, investors and others too numerous to mention.
Sunday Olugbenga Abire is Special Assistant on New Media to the Governor of Ondo State.
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Study @ Achievers University
