Like a daze of the locust, nay-sayers are again in town with the tar brush, painting wrong impressions about the state of affairs in Ondo State. Enamoured by a recent report that the state Governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) ailed and was undergoing treatment outside the shores of Nigeria, they simply sneered: “Oh, he must have died; they are only pretending!” “Ah, his family members have deserted him, realising his near-zero chance of survival!” Such were open expressions being bandied by many self-afflicted doomdayers.
In no time, however, the governor himself put the wind out of their sail when he affirmed to the public that he actually took ill and needed medical attention outside the country, and he as such transmitted power to the Deputy Governor, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa. He wrote to the state’s House of Assembly asking Aiyedatiwa to be so empowered.
It’s though noteworthy that Akeredolu, being a selfless leader of a rare breed, had before his statutory letter to the Ondo Assembly, consented that Aiyedatiwa should take charge as Acting Governor, immediately after he went abroad on vacation. At such period, it is hard to come by a leader who would willingly submit power to his second-in-command, as jitters will run down the governor’s spines that he could be upstaged with some fiat. At that period of his initial absence, Akeredolu was really not under any obligation to make the deputy governor act in his stead, but for his simple and selfless nature.
This is simply because, the Constitution tactically empowers the governor to be on vacation for 20 days without transmitting any letter to the House of Assembly, that his deputy be made Acting Governor. But if he failed to transmit the letter after 21 days, the affected governor infringes on the Constitution and is doomed to pay the price.
It’s though noteworthy that Akeredolu, being a selfless leader of a rare breed, had before his statutory letter to the Ondo Assembly, consented that Aiyedatiwa should take charge as Acting Governor, immediately after he went abroad on vacation. At such period, it is hard to come by a leader who would willingly submit power to his second-in-command, as jitters will run down the governor’s spines that he could be upstaged with some fiat. At that period of his initial absence, Akeredolu was really not under any obligation to make the deputy governor act in his stead, but for his simple and selfless nature
After all, Section 190 of the Nigerian Constitution states, “Whenever the Governor is proceeding on vacation or is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of his office, he shall transmit a written declaration to the Speaker of the House of Assembly to that effect and until he transmits to the Speaker of House Assembly a written declaration to the contrary, the Deputy Governor shall perform the functions of the Governor as Acting Governor.
It goes further to clear doubts, adding, “In the event that the Governor is unable or fails to transmit the written declaration mentioned in subsection (1) of this section within 21 days, the House of Assembly shall, by a resolution made by a simple majority of the vote of the House, mandate the Deputy Governor to perform the functions of the office of the Governor as Acting Governor, until the Governor transmits a letter to the Speaker that he is now available to resume his functions as Governor.”
It is, therefore, worrisome that after having met with brickwalls in their attempt to put a clog in the wheel of cordiality between Governor Akeredolu and his deputy, detractors cleverly exhumed another theory from their haystack of mischief. They ran to the media with the report that Aiyedatiwa, having been constitutionally empowered as Acting Governor, had started making moves to circumvent the procedures approved by Akeredolu for disbursement of funds to government personnel and offices.
In the report published by a newspaper, some unnamed sources in government were quoted as saying that Aiyedatiwa rattled political appointees under the office of Governor Akeredolu when he ordered that allocations released to the Office of the Governor be diverted to him since he is now the Acting Governor. The salacious report went further to state that the Acting Governor now wants to collect imprest as Acting Governor and as deputy governor. Further to it, the ghost sources alleged to the author of the story that the Acting Governor has now sidelined the Finance Ministry which should supervise allocation of funds in the Governor’s Office.
To objectively appraise the apparently concocted story, would it be proper to be paying tour allowance to staff of the governor who are on their various desks while their principal is away abroad on medical vacation? If Aiyedatiwa as Actng Governor demanded to be fully briefed on funds disbursed to the Office of the Governor with a view to ensuring that government money is not cornered by egregious aides, should it be considered as out of place?
Without doubt too, Aiyedatiwa as Acting Governor of Ondo State has impressed stakeholders in the state, having stuck to the developmental programmes of road rehabilitation and maintenance, youth empowerment, functional education and health systems, and other sundry sectoral giant strides for which Akeredolu is reputed
The truth is that, when Akeredolu was transmitting power, he did not transmit it to the finance commissioner but to the Deputy Governor, as constitutionally required. In saner climes, once a governor goes on vacation, his personal aides not holidaying with him are assigned to perform other functions outside the governor’s office, rather than sit snoring on their desks in expectation of fund allocations. Allocations to do what?
What the sponsors of that report have probably forgotten is that, a crucial decision such as they cited and misread, must have been privately agreed upon by Akeredolu and Aiyedatiwa, who are political soulmates based on their humility and mutual respect for each other. Indeed, Aiyedatiwa has not sacked any of Akeredolu’s aides and those among them who are scared should come up with cogent reasons.
Rather than create unwarranted tension in Ondo State, these self-assigned traducers, in my opinion, should back down from their high horses and start making useful suggestions to the state government on steps to take with a view to putting the state in a pride of place under the new administration of President Bola Tinubu.
Indeed, Ondo State had the highest percentage of votes cast for President Tinubu in the February 25, 2023 presidential election and as such, deserves more attention in terms of socio-economic development, especially in the grassroots.
Without doubt too, Aiyedatiwa as Acting Governor of Ondo State has impressed stakeholders in the state, having stuck to the developmental programmes of road rehabilitation and maintenance, youth empowerment, functional education and health systems, and other sundry sectoral giant strides for which Akeredolu is reputed.
Therefore, pathological liars and other mischief makers should repent, and find a new trade.
. Fasua, a journalist, lives in Akure