By Ayodele Oni
The brickbats between the Ondo State Government and late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’s family continued as Babajide, son of the late Governor flayed the naming of an uncompleted project after his father.
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa had last week laid the foundation stone of a new High Court Complex in Akure and dedicated it to the memory of the late Governor.
But Babajide said what the family wants is that Aiyedatiwa should complete all projects started by his father if the Governor genuinely wants to honour him.
In a statement on Monday, in Akure, Babajide Akeredolu also described as “lack of courtesy and respect” on the part of State Government to organize a memorial lecture for his father without involving any member of the Akeredolu family.
The Statement reads, “It is important to state unequivocally that Governor Aiyedatiwa was aware of the Akeredolu family’s plans for the remembrance.
“My uncle and head of the Akeredolu family, Prof. Wole Akeredolu, personally informed the governor at his monthly praise night in November at the Dome in Akure. The governor acknowledged this and affirmed that the state government would be a part of the event.
“Furthermore, an official invitation letter was delivered to the Director of Protocol, Government House, Mr. George Asonja.
“The letter was duly received and acknowledged. At no point did the governor or his representatives indicate any conflicting plans or suggest that the state government intended to organise a separate event.
“It was, therefore, both shocking and deeply disappointing to learn about the state-organised event through social media, just three days before it was held.
“Even more disappointing was that no member of the Akeredolu family was invited to this event. This lack of courtesy and respect is unheard of and unbecoming, especially for an event meant to honour the memory of a former governor and patriarch.
“While we recognise that the state government has the prerogative to organise such events, basic decency and protocol demand that the family of the deceased be informed and included. This glaring oversight leads one to question if it was intentional mischief or based on erroneous advice from the governor’s aides.
“We acknowledge and commend Governor Aiyedatiwa for performing the groundbreaking ceremony for the proposed Judicial Complex, a project initiated by Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.
“As a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and a passionate advocate for the judiciary, this project was dear to his heart. However, the current politics surrounding the project are glaring. Naming a project after someone before its completion is both premature and insincere.
“True immortality lies in completing the project and ensuring its functionality. If the governor is genuinely committed to honoring Arakunrin Akeredolu’s legacy, he must demonstrate this through actions, not empty gestures.”
Listing some uncompleted projects to be attended to by the present administration, Babajide, stated that “Ondo State, the minimum wage table is short of what was promised and announced by the governor. Even after the approval of the table, Mr. Governor still directed further reduction of the amount again. This is not Akeredolu’s legacy to the civil service.
“Resolve the issue of unpaid deductions, and the lack of funding for ministries and parastatals.
“These are the meaningful ways to honour Arakunrin Akeredolu’s legacy. His love for Ondo State and its people must not be diminished by retrogressive policies or political gimmicks.
“Governor Aiyedatiwa must halt the vindictive and divisive acts of punishing or ostracizing anyone associated with Arakunrin Akeredolu.
“True loyalty and respect for the late governor cannot coexist with disdain for his policies, family, or vision. It is hypocritical and unbecoming of leadership that claims to want to honour the legacy of its predecessor every time the opportunity presents itself.”
However, a top government official who pleaded anonymity reacted to Babajide’s claims, saying: “While a detailed response may be given on this, let me quickly say that Babajide cannot dictate to the Ondo State Government how it would honour a former Governor. Akeredolu was more than a family man, he was an elected leader of the State.
“The State Government played its role in the events organised in Owo by the family where the Deputy Governor represented the Governor. The preparation for the Lecture event in Akure had commenced before the invitation for the Owo events was delivered to the State Government.
“The condescending tone of Babajide in his statement over the unavailability of the Governor at the family events shows his lack of respect for the office of the Governor.
“Is Babajide unaware of the public attacks and unrestrained abuse that his mother, former First Lady, has melted on the Governor since he assumed office. Is Babajide also unaware of how his mother had embarrassed the Governor and Deputy Governor by ignoring their pleasantries at public events?
“That Babajide was privileged to hold a non-existent political office under the administration of his father does not confer on him the right to dictate how government projects and policies are handled by Governor Aiyedatiwa.
“The road projects he mentioned, including Oda road dualisation, Ijoka road dualisation and the Irese flyover, were all abandoned when he and a few others held the state to ransom and caused a needless political crisis during his father’s illness.
“All contractors handling the projects, who were not paid for job done, had been nowhere near the projects for close to two years before Governor Aiyedatiwa mobilised them back to site in February this year.
“Babajide should cure his ignorance by paying a visit to the road projects to assess the level of progress made in the last one year of the Aiyedatiwa administration. Those projects suffered under his reign as Director General of the Project Performance and Implementation Monitoring Unit, an office he used to arrogate to himself the title of a defacto Governor for three years.
“Babajide should return all government properties he took away before arrogantly making statements on how to run government.”
Governor Aiyedatiwa was late Governor Akeredolu’s Deputy. Before Akeredolu’s passing, the relationship between the two was strained. Till date, there is no lost love between the Akeredolu’s and Governor Aiyedatiwa.
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