Aiyedatiwa is more than lucky

1 hour ago 5

Ondo State governor, Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, for those who have not had a close encounter with him is a man who barely speaks. Yes, he wears an infectious smile, dresses smartly and appears largely unruffled all the time. The truth is that he has more than the world has seen packed in the smart, athletic frame he carries about. He has more than the luck that has been attributed to him.

For one, he has a gift of the garb, could converse fluently and coherently in English and Yoruba languages, as well as his local Ilaje dialect. In culture, carriage and communication, Lucky, as the current Ondo State governor and candidate of the governing party is popularly known, stands shoulder and head taller than his closest competitor, the Peoples Democratic Party’s Agboola Ajayi.

One can argue that there are some other candidates; those of the fringe parties who could be credited with eloquence and effective and efficient communication skills like Lucky Aiyedatiwa. Chief Olusola Nehemiah Ebiseni, the best among the rest, is enmeshed in a web of puzzles that only God can unravel. Dr Ayo Olorunfemi is the man whose name is still on display on INEC’s portal. One Dayo Olubo still claims to be the candidate and it will take a whole lot of energy and dexterity for Ebiseni to navigate through the labyrinth and make any noticeable impact in the November 16 election. So, any candidate, outside the duo of Aiyedatiwa and Ajayi, we beg to say upfront, is in the race to fulfill all righteousness as the battle truly is between two who were, in quick succession, deputy governors to the departed Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.

But the physical and mental values briefly mentioned as they relate to Aiyedatiwa have also been hugely accentuated through his “Our Ease” agenda, a document he has made available which captures his goals and aspirations as governor on his own merit. For indeed, he has never shied away from telling all that he signed in to the Redeemed agenda of his departed boss, and has been consistent in pursuing, mainly projects and initiatives inherited at the demise of the departed former governor. “Our Ease” as a document therefore appears to be his attempt to give his personal meaning, definition and direction to the Redeemed Agenda of the Late Akeredolu. In any case, both are of the APC political stock, and the current has never claimed to take any major detour from the policies and focus of the former governor.

Taking off from the basics, Aiyedatiwa says the “Our Ease” plan is a “is a declaration of Hope.” He has a reason to so proclaim, it must be said. Only those who are dangerously detached from reality will say there is no feeling of hopelessness in some Nigerians on account of the short-term effect of corrective policies of the federal government, Aiyedatiwa is not to be counted among such. He however believes that there is hope and that it is not far from where we presently are. He also believes that with the determination of the president to stay the course on some issues and make needed changes in some others, needed prosperity is around the corner.

But his vision is not just about hope. In his words, “It is a commitment to service,… a promise of Good Governance.” It is not enough to make promises, some have argued. This Aiyedatiwa knows. He is fulfilling his promises even when he took time to settle down after being sworn in and after facing an array of political hurdles before clinching the party ticket. What are the details of Aiyedatiwa’s proposed policy thrust? He went straight to provide answers.

Order, security and the rule of law were captured under the first word of the “Our Ease” acronym. Ondo being an agrarian society has suffered its share of insecurity around farming communities and this has brought attendant disincentive to farming. He promises a stop to this malaise. He has already expanded the framework of the Amotekun Network. Rangers have been thrown in to effectively man the farms and farm roads. Now, farmers have become more confident in going to their farms, and produce buyers no longer fear going to the hinterlands to get better bargains. With time, farm outputs will increase, and products will get to markets on time. Wastages will end and the circle of production will move faster.

The Amotekun has arrested several gangs of farm raiders in recent times and handed them over for prosecution. Criminals will be apprehended, tried and jailed according to law. That is the Aiyedatiwa promise and he has started executing it. It is now obvious that Aiyadatiwa is strengthening security frameworks and institutions in Ondo State to uphold justice and create a secure environment where everyone can thrive. The ease is becoming manifest. In months to come, the full impact will be obvious.

The ‹U› stands for urban and rural development through Agriculture and Blue Economy. Here the Ondo governor wants to foster inclusive and sustainable urban and rural development by harnessing the transformative power of agriculture and the blue economy. Ondo has one of the longest coastlines in Nigeria that has largely been unharnessed. Lucky Aiyedatiwa will use agricultural innovations and sustainable marine resources to drive economic growth, reduce poverty and ensure food security. It is doable and he is doing it. Yet, he has promised to do more.

Through revolutionary technological advancement and industrialization the man poised to be sworn in February 2025 as the next governor, plans to foster innovation, support tech startups and ensure access to the latest technologies, and by so doing create «an environment where industries can thrive and communities can prosper. Already tech and industrial hubs are springing up both as new initiatives and as continuity of existing efforts in Ondo State, courtesy of Aiyedatiwa. The goal is to make Ondo ‹a hub of industrial excellence where technology not only powers progress but also improves the quality of life for all.

Efficient healthcare and socio-economic welfare are another broad policy direction of the Aiyedatiwa candidacy. Here he re-emphasized the readiness of his government to stay the course in incentivising healthcare personnel across areas of professional endeavour by improving their take-home relative to the national maximum. He also wants to continue the effort to expand the capacity of the Primary Health Care system to deliver to more and across many more locations in the state. Ondo, he states, must remain number one in infant and maternal mortality reduction efforts, take prime position in immunisation against childhood diseases and increase the capacity of the state to arrest epidemics and curtail the spread of communicable diseases.

Aiyedatiwa has pledged to be more aggressive in the quest to provide adequate power and affordable energy to the people of Ondo State. The effort to restore power to the Southern District which hitherto had defied solution seems to have received the Aiyedatiwa touch of recent. Not only has power been restored, he is working with federal agencies and BEDC to restore power distribution facilities that have either become obsolete or vandalised.

His words: “With the new liberty given to states to generate, transmit and distribute electricity, Ondo State will prioritize adequate power from all sources and convert it to clean and affordable energy for public use.”

Yet he will be working hard towards sustainable infrastructural development and tourism by reinforcing every industry, small, medium or large, with mechanisms that ensure their sustainability and resilience.

On education, human capital development and entrepreneurship, the governor promises to make strategic and purposeful investments in the human capital of Ondo State such that the state’s intellectual resources become assets both locally and globally.

He hopes to focus on education and entrepreneurship so that a combination of both will be the cornerstone upon which economic development will be built. But mere mentioning of these will amount to nothing if they are not backed with action.

Aiyedatiwa has been up and doing about these focal areas since he became governor. He paid off backlog of indebtedness of the State to staff of the Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, released needed grants and capital project funds to the universities, released funds for the continuation of ongoing road projects across the State and mobilised the Ministry of Agriculture to provide agricultural inputs for farmers.

In more specific terms, he has commenced efforts to reactivate the 30MW tri-fuel Odigbo powerplant, begun mass metering of Ondo State households through O’datiwa Meters, has installed more than 1,000 solar energy poles the for Light-Up Akure project and reactivated the Fiwasaye-Oba Adesida -FUTA streetlight.

In line with the new order of power generation and transmission, Governor Aiyedatiwa not long ago inaugurated a committee to oversee the transition period of regulatory oversight transfer from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to the Ondo State Government. With a mandate to develop modalities for the improvement of electricity supply within the state, ensure smooth transfer of authority from federal institutions to the state and enhance local governance and control over electricity for the benefit of the people of Ondo State, the committee has since swung into action results are sure to follow.

The governor has also seen to the reactivation of the 132KV transmission line and 132KV/33KV Power Substation in Ode Erinje, which draws its supply from the Omotosho Power Plant as initiated by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

He has more than all the above working for him. There is a broad alliance working for him that makes the election appear more like a mere academic exercise.

In his camp are key players of the Agagu era. He also has most of the players of the Mimiko era now behind his candidacy. Even older politicians of the Adefarati era are on his side. And he has been able to win the support of the youths and the young at heart by engaging them directly in his political journey. Market women and men, artisans, professional bodies and even labour unions have also pledged their support and are working feverishly to get him elected.

This singular factor makes the November 16 election one which may not record any major upset. And the opposition rather than look at these factors is busy attacking Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa only on account of his name. They miss the fact that he is more than lucky.