BudgiT’s assessment of his poor governance in the state is too civil and truthful for a reasonable government to criticize
INTRODUCTION
The current governor of Ondo state, Arakunrin Akeredolu Oluwarotimi SAN has turned governance into mockery and jesting, not in appealing Kegite’s way but an aversive and detestable manner. The former president of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo said that political leaders can only do well when a lot of people are speaking the truth to the powers-that-be. Baba Iyabo concluded his statement by calling for more rebels, i.e those who will confront the Nigerian leadership with the bitter truth. X-raying the activities of the Arakunrin-led government in the sunshine state, it’s obvious that Aketi has never lacked people who are calling his attention to his misrules but he has been hiding under a finger i.e in denial.
It’s no doubt that Mr. Governor enjoys the favor of God in many dimensions more than people who are doing the works of God, I mean clergymen. This may also explain why he has failed to live up to the expectations in the Ondo State. Arakunrin can’t claim to have spent his hard-earned resources in politics like Chief Tayo Alasoadura, Chief Olusola Oke SAN, Dr.Olusegun Mimiko, and others but he has reaped bountifully more than necessary from this political dispensation. For those who know the political history of Ondo state, no governor (Ajasin, Olumilua, Adefarati, Agagu, even Dr. Mimiko) has ever treated civil servants and politicians so shabbily like this from his first term and won his re-election massively. Aketi won 15 out of 18 Local Governments to claim this ongoing second term’s mandate in 2020’s governorship election.
As a writer and researcher, I realized the reason why Aketi hasn’t valued the politicians and civil servants. This could be traced to the excess grace from God, enjoyed so far by Arakunrin. To support my point, I noticed from Gen. Sanni Abacha’s life, that he was the most wicked and favored military officer in Nigeria’s history. From his enviable career in Nigerian Army, rose through the ranks without skipping any, he is one of the most decorated generals of all time and participated in all the successful military coups. Unconfirmed report said the dreaded dictator was preparing for retirement, having sent his servants to renovate his house in Kano state, when he was contacted by Late Chief M.K.O Abiola to help unseat the then interim government being led by Ernest Shonekan, the rest is now history.
*GOV AKEREDOLU IN DENIAL*
The recent outburst from the commissioner for Information, Mrs. Bamidele Ademola Olateju in which she criticized the BudgiT, a civil tech organization, for including Aketi’s government among the 12 states in Nigeria, owing state civil servants in its recent independent survey. In a press statement from this reputable organization, Ondo state was included as one of the states in which the civil servants are going through untold hardship due to unpaid salary arrears. As usual, the spokesperson of the government released a statement, claiming that Aketi prioritizes the state workforce’s welfare.
It’s also on record that God has used my humble self to write a lot about the misrules of Arakunrin in the last year of his second term in the sunshine state. Instead of our Aketi seeing me as one of the people who want his government to succeed by giving constructive criticisms, I have been termed all sorts of names by his media aides. I remembered that Nigerian Medical Association, Southwest leaders, recently visited Aketi in his office and told him point blank that Ondo state is worst hit by the current trend of brain drain of medical personnel in Yoruba states because of irregular payment of salaries by him and released a communique to that effect.
A Professor also wrote an article/open letter which went viral to slam this government of Owo-born legal luminary for one of the anti-people policies against secondary teachers in which Arakunrin wants them to present master’s degree before they can be promoted. It’s crystal clear that Aketi never had a master’s degree in law but stopped at LLB before he was honored with Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), an honorary award for lawyers. If Arakunrin can govern the state without a second degree, it’s useless to deny hardworking teachers in the state their promotions.
*IN CONCLUSION*
The governor of Ondo state will soon realize the privilege of having people who don’t give a damn but I have been calling Arakunrin’s attention to his bad governance in Ondo state. It’s no doubt that Arakunrin would prefer sycophants who will massage his ego despite poor performance in terms of good governance in the sunshine state. The recent outburst from his Commissioner for Information is confirmation that Aketi is in denial of truth and has an aversion to it. The BudgiT’s statement on his poor governance in the state is too civil and truthful for a reasonable government to criticize.
If Arakunrin wants to be sincere, he will score himself below average in self-appraisal of his six-year rule in Ondo state, this is the only way he can tell everyone in the state that he has his conscience intact.
*Dr. Akeredolu O.N, Leader, Aketi Medical Team, 2016, Vice Chairman, Aketi-Aiyedatiwa Medical Committee, 2020*