GOVERNOR AKEREDOLU ILLNESS:

*HOW GOV AKEREDOLU'S ILLNESS GROUNDED ONDO STATE*.......Dr Akeredolu O.N

The recent events in the sunshine state call for cries from every one who loves her. It's a terrible and sorrowful condition, this is not the vision of our founding fathers. The fact about our current governor, Arakunrin Akeredolu Oluwarotimi SAN is that he doesn't love the Ondo State indigenes and prefers himself to the rest of 3 million citizens. Though, thousands of the people have been showing undeserved kindness to him, wishing him a quick recovery which I also pray for, this hasn't changed Aketi's attitude towards us. Since the inception of his administration, everything had been nosediving, from bad to worse. There is no doubt, the health challenge of the governor has gotten out of hand, his wife, Betty Anyanwu Akeredolu knows full well what may likely happen, openly accused Mrs Bunmi Ademosun, one of the trusted female aides of Arakunrin of smuggling herbal drugs and diabolic concoctions into governor's house, Alagbaka, Akure, for her husband. This Imo State's indigene, trained agriculturalist turned Ondo State's first lady, warned this intruder termed Bunmi Alagbo and promised to deal with her if she fails to decease from such a barbaric act.

The first Deputy Governor between 2016 to 2020, with Aketi, H.E. Agboola Ajayi, together with the secretary to the Ondo State Government then, Hon. Ifedayo Abegunde a.k.a Abena, were disappointed by the Aketi's attitude and pattern of governance. The latter resigned from the cabinet towards the tail end of the first term while the former decided to fight him politically and contested against his boss, using the Zenith Labour Party. It was around this period of the cold war between him and his erstwhile deputy that Aketi's health started failing. Trust the political jobbers, they concluded that H.E. Agboola Ajayi was the one trying to kill Aketi through diabolical means so that he could become the governor. Fortunately, he recovered, and came back to the state as the governor, the duo completed the tenure together, though their relationship became that of cat and dog. Finally, Arakunrin looked for the most trusted person in his party to fly the second term ticket with him, this gentleman from Ilaje Local Government, H.E. Lucky Aiyedatiwa was nominated as the Deputy Governorship Candidate of APC by Aketi.

Following their swearing-in, he relegated the second in command of Ondo State's goverment herrarchy to a mere Personal Assistant on birthdays and burials, only using him for the above functions as his representive. The governor's last born, who had never worked in his life, Mr Babajide Akeredolu, became the defacto Prime Minister and usurped the authority of the Deputy Governor, controlling everything. Ondo State had been virtually pocketed by Aketi and his family members. An unconfirmed report said one of the governors in southwest of Nigeria, called the attention of Aketi to the overbearing influence of his son and wife in his cabinet, a warning which Aketi discarded. Despite that the health sector under Aketi's regime has collapsed, with no functional hospital, the state-owned tertiary hospital is in a sorrowful situation, Arakunrin moved outside Nigeria to access good health facilities for his ailments. He had been alleged to have travelled to Germany on several occasions for treatment, said to have been smuggled back to the same country currently, now that his condition has deteriorated, following an instruction from Dr Kayode Fayemi, the former Governor of Ekiti State who couldn't withstand his present health status. Ordinarily, a good leader will do everything to ensure that governance is under control so that his challenge won't serve as a hiccup but the reverse is the case in Ondo State. Aketi has refused to hand over to the Deputy governor as stipulated by our constitution, for him to continue in an acting capacity pending the time he will be okay, Arakunrin  doesn't care about what becomes of the state, what is paramount to him is to retain the governorship seat at all costs.

Now, the current situation of the state has been very bad and we don't have the constitutionally active number one citizen, being ruled by Mr governor's proxies, termed Owo-cabal,this has been causing a lot of political embarrassment to the sunshine state indigenes. Ondo State voted overwhelmingly for Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu in the last Feb 25th, 2023's  presidential election. The Jagaban of Borgu was inaugurated in Abuja on May 29th of this year, at Eagles Square as the President of Nigeria. This memorable day was made sad for APC members from Ondo State by Aketi's conspicuous absence and he didn't authorise H.E. lucky Aiyedatiwa to represent him, and the tickets for guests to attend dinner were not available for sunshine contingents where a governor was needed most for lobby, majority of them looked for other ways that cost them a lot of money. In the same vein, Sen. Ahmed Tinubu GCFR had a meeting with APC governors called  Progressive Governors, Arakunrin was also missing in this gathering of number one citizen of various states under APC as the ruling party, refused to nominate his Deputy to stand-in for him and Ondo State wasn't there. The last one was the meeting of Nigerian governors with Mr President to deliberate on how to increase the salaries of civil servants, the health challenge of Aketi prevented him from going and nobody raised the flag for sunshine state among these national leaders.

 

The future of Ondo State's youths and students is at stake as the only polytechnics, owned by the sunshine state, Rufus Giwa Polytechnics, Owo, will experience the mother of all industrial actions. The lecturers of this institution of learning have decided to fight the current administration of Aketi by declaring industrial action over their 13 months of unpaid salaries. These individuals have been subjected to uncommon poverty and penury. Considering their exams on the way, the state government should step-in but Aketi's health has made him unavoidably absent and refused his deputy in an acting capacity, nobody has the legal backing to represent the governor and  intervenes between the management of the institution and the striking lecturers. 

In another dimension, the elections of the 18 Local Governments, to elect their Chairmen, Vice Chairmen, and Councillors have been postponed. This is not unconnected to current hiccups in the administration of daily activities by the Ondo state government, courtesy of Aketi's failing health . Many aspirants who want to serve their localities had their aspirations frustrated by Aketi's attitude of not obeying the part of the constitution means he should bequeath power to his vice when a situation like this happens. We are praying for his quick recovery, however, if Aketi had loved the state he wouldn't put us in the present situation of frustration and hopelessness. It's a pity that we have to suffer this much from his ineptitude and obvious disobedience to our laws. These are questions to be answered ; who governs Ondo state now? Where is our governor? What is current health status? Ondo state indigenes want quick and urgent answers to aforementioned puzzles.

*Dr Akeredolu O.N, Leader of Aketi Medical Team, 2016, Vice Chairman, Aketi-Ayedatiwa Medical Committee, 2020*