By Ajijo
Dr Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa’s rise to the Ondo State Government House was never part of the original political script. When he was inaugurated as Deputy Governor in 2021 alongside the late Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, the expectation was simple: serve loyally as number two. But Ondo politics had other plans.
As Akeredolu battled ill health in 2023, Aiyedatiwa was pushed into the eye of a storm. For months he served as Acting Governor amid palace intrigues, impeachment threats and deep divisions within the establishment. His loyalty was questioned and his capacity debated. Then on December 27, 2023, Akeredolu died, and Aiyedatiwa was sworn in as substantive Governor. The deputy had become the principal.
Two years on, the conversation has shifted. The administration is no longer defined by the crisis of its emergence, but by a deliberate push for consolidation through infrastructure, fiscal discipline, social investment and institutional reform anchored on the “Our Ease” agenda.
One of the clearest trademarks of this government is fiscal discipline. The 2026 budget of N492.8 billion earmarks 57 percent for capital projects. While critics say the governor is too frugal, supporters argue that he is meticulous, insisting that public funds must work for the majority and not disappear through inflated contracts.
In line with that, the state has cleared over 82.6 percent of its debt obligations, paid N3.2 billion in gratuity backlogs, and maintained regular payment of salaries and pensions. His background as a businessman and former Managing Director of Blue Wall Group is evident in the emphasis on efficiency and measurable results.
Aiyedatiwa’s emergence also carries historic weight. He is the first governor from Ondo South Senatorial District and the first from the coastal Ilaje extraction. That reality has given his administration special resonance in the riverine communities and across the state.
The most visible evidence of governance so far is in roads and infrastructure. More than 190 kilometres of roads have been constructed or rehabilitated across the three senatorial districts. The long-abandoned Aiyegunle–Iwaro Oka Road has been completed, while in Akure the Igoba Road and Alagbaka Extension are part of an urban renewal drive.
The Oda and Idanre dualization projects, vital for moving cocoa and other farm produce, have reached advanced stages. Work has also commenced on the dualization of Okitipupa–Igbokoda, with plans for Akungba–Ikare. To open up riverine areas, the government is constructing jetties and walkways and has approved the dredging and canalization from Ode Ugbo to Oghoye at the Benin River boundary.
In education, the government has recruited over 2,000 teachers, renovated hundreds of primary schools and upgraded 60 secondary schools. Technical colleges are being modernized and students continue to benefit from paid WAEC and NABTEB fees, scholarships and bursaries.
To ease transportation costs, free shuttle buses and boats have been provided in difficult terrains. At the tertiary level, Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, has been approved for conversion to the Ondo State University of Agriculture and Technology, while programmes at Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, are being expanded.
Healthcare is receiving similar attention. The Orange Health Insurance Scheme has been expanded to cover retirees, and the Abiyamo Scheme supports antenatal care and child health. Through the Ilera-Loro programme, all 203 wards are covered, while 102 primary healthcare centres are being upgraded under the World Bank-supported IMPACT project. Currently , a N1 billion hospital intervention fund has been approved and a pharmaceutical-grade warehouse completed to improve drug storage and distribution.
Economically, the state is looking both inward and outward. Twenty-six thousand hectares have been secured for agriculture with N7.5 billion earmarked for the sector. Cocoa seedlings, livestock support and rural market upgrades are ongoing.
Dormant industries such as Ifon Ceramic and Okitipupa Oil Mill are being revived. The Ondo Deep Sea Port licence has been revalidated, and there is renewed interest from Alhaji Aliko Dangote to develop the Olokola Free Trade Zone into one of Africa’s largest industrial hubs, with work expected to begin in the last quarter of this year.
In justice and security, six new High Court judges were appointed, the first major expansion since 1976. Judicial autonomy has been supported and case backlogs reduced. The Ondo State Security Network, Amotekun, has recruited 500 additional personnel and received more equipment. The administration has also exercised clemency powers.
Social investment has focused on youth, women and inclusion, linking empowerment programmes to education and health so that development is not limited to concrete and asphalt.
Yet challenges remain. Early critics described Aiyedatiwa’s emergence as a product of circumstance. The real test now is whether governance can translate into a durable political mandate. The 2028 election will weigh three things: delivery on projects and welfare, the ability to manage political unity, and whether his historic emergence from Ilaje can build broad-based support across the state.
From a deputy caught in a political storm to a governor seeking a legacy of stewardship, Dr Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s story is one of the most remarkable transitions in contemporary Ondo politics.
“As he said at a thanksgiving service, “God made this possible against all odds.”
In Ondo State, through Governor Aiyedatiwa those odds are being rewritten
…Omooba Moboluwade Diesel Ajijo, mnipr, is a Broadcast Journalist, Public Relations Specialtist and Public Affairs Analyst writes from Oke Isinkan in Akure.
07066225231/ boluajijo115@gmail.com
