TEXT OF THE STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS DELIVERED BY THE ONDO REDEMPTION FRONT ON THE STATE OF GOVERNANCE IN ONDO STATE.
Civil Society Organisations here present Youth Organisations here present Ondo State Stakeholders Gentle men of the Press
It is with great delight and pleasure that I on behalf of the leadership and membership of the Ondo Redemption Front, welcome you to the maiden edition of the state of the state address of the group which will be sustained going forward.
The Ondo Redemption Front (ORF) is a group of professionals of Ondo descent and are deeply interested in the progress of Ondo state. We work to foster a collaborative environment that promote dialogue and encourages policies that truly reflect the needs and aspirations of our people, with a specific focus on advancing the welfare of Ondo state residents.
We envision a future characterized by prosperity and growth.
We stand resolute in our dedication to ensuring that the interest and dreams of the citizens of Ondo state remains central to the policies making and decision making process. We shall continually provide timely advice to government on proper running of the affairs of Ondo State.
It is no longer news, that the last six months or thereabout, Ondo State have been facing leadership challenges due to the unfortunate ill health of the Governor of the State Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu SAN andas you may be aware as contained in the public domain that the health condition of Mr. Akeredolu led to his
departure abroad for medical interventions.
We should also remind ourselves, that it took the interventions of various stakeholders to prevail on Mr. Akeredolu to transmit power to his deputy Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa in line
with the 1999 constitution to act as the Governor of the state while he was to embark on medical trip outside the
country.
It is also important to state that throughout the period Mr.
Akeredolu sojourn for medical trip abroad, governance in Ondo State became impossible as a result of individuals who constituted themselves into cabal and claimed to be defending the interest of the ailing governor and in the process, incapacitated the Acting Governor Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa from acting as the governor of the state, a process that led to collapse of governance in Ondo State.
While Mr. Akeredolu returned to the country, for over two weeks that he returned to Nigeria in controversial manner, he has not been sighted in the state rather, he has been hid somewhere in Ibadan by his cronies where he has been operating through proxies and thereby made governance in the state to be carried out in secrecy.
Also, worthy of mention is the fact that since the return of Mr. Akeredolu and his refusal to resume at his official duty -post for the governance of the state, a situation that is causing serious apprehension in the state, the State House of Assembly has not been helping matters rather, The Ondo State House of Assembly has decided to add salt to injury by instigating violence, anarchy and orchestrating break down of law and order by embarking on unjustified and unwarranted process of impeachment
of the Deputy Governor Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa at theexpense of the peace, stability and the welfare of the
people of Ondo State.
As a group, we strongly believe that politics should be the least of the worries of the political class in Ondo state at the moment but delivery of good governance in the overriding interest of the people of the state. Our people has been cheated over time with no progressive impact on
their daily life. A large chunk of Ilaje land is taken over by overflow of water without attending concern, no one is
talking about the state of the state owned institutions as well as the other critical sector of our economy.
While we don’t hold brief for the embattled deputy governor, we warn and sternly too that the state house of
assembly recruise herself from the whims and camprices of those who are bent on holding the state by the jugular without carrying the mandate of the people. We are not unaware that this is not about accountability as the house wants us to believe but a vendetta by a class of crass opportunists who have unfettered access to the resources of the state occasioned by the incapacity of the Governor.
In view of the above stated and the contemplation of section 11(1)(4)(5) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria, we hereby implore The National Assembly to call Ondo State House of Assembly to order
in the overriding interest of the people of the state and the country at large.
Accountability. There has been claims and counter claims from different
quarters as regard the management of the subsidy fund given by the federal government and other items too, on behalf of our people, we demand an investigation into the utility of the fund and other items supplied to the state.
We are not unaware of the games been played with our common petrithony. One of suen is the ignoble assault on the commissioner for women affairs in the state by a party
chieftain in the Akoko area of the state where palliatives was been distributed to party faithful other than the real people in need of it across the state. We demand a probe and accountability in this regard.
In similar vein, we demand an inquiry into the 2020 corona virus funds as expended. There has been a lot of
secrecy on the fund and its sharing and beneficiaries and we demand an inquest and investigation into the funds both raised and given were expended.
National Policies and Our Representatives So Far
We commend the president of the federal republic of Nigeria, president Bola Hammed Tinubu for graciously
appointing indigenes of ondo state to his cabinet to serve in various capacities and we are not unmindful of the youthful inclusion in his administration.
So far, ondo state has two youthful ministers amidst other
appointments as special advisors, assistant and the NNDC
board. We are particularly proud of the achievements of Olubunmi Ojo as the minister of interior in a short period
in office as regards restoring the difficulties in acquiring national identity passport and other sectors.
He is of our generation and we are proud of him while we hope Ay
Wisdom as minister of state for youth affairs will toe same line of performance after his confirmation by the national assembly. We use the grace of those so far appointed to call for more appointments for ondo state at the federal level. If we have proven ourselves in a little, we will do more if
offered more in collective interest of the state.
CONCLUSION
We are committed to the progress of Ondo state and we would not allow anyone or any group of people to drag us in the mud.
God bless Ondo State. God bless Nigeria.
Ayodeji ologun
Chairman,ORF
Mogbojuri kayode
Co-chair, ORF
Olufemi Lawson
Secretary ORF
