As the Curtain Falls on Akeredolu’s First Term Cabinet
Nseobong Okon-Ekong captures the emotional moment when team members of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State’s first term cabinet bow out
Tomorrow, Tuesday February 23, 2021, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu will take the oath to serve the people of Ondo State along with his deputy for another term of four years. Drawing the curtain on the first term, Akeredolu thanked the council members for their services to the state and people. According to him, the glory of the achievements of his administration belongs to all of them.
He said: “I can assure you, whatever it is, I cant be governor and determine what happens in the Ministry of Agriculture. I can’t be governor and determine what happens in the Ministry of Budget and Planning. I can’t be governor and manage the Ministry of Finance. I can’t be governor and manage all the ministries and all the agencies. We must have made a mark. Don’t say I made a mark. We made a mark. That’s why when they write news for me, I change it and put we. It is all of us.
“There is nothing we have achieved here without you. Nothing! Take it or leave it. Is it what you are doing in education, am I there? I am not. Kamomi Aketi, will I follow you to drink water? I won’t. But somebody was there. He was not just there in the office, he was there on the field as they drilled boreholes. So, You must take credit for it. Whatever is our achievement, the credit goes to all of you and all of us. Not one person. Everybody here has contributed his own quota in no small measure. Everybody and I mean it.
“Whatever achievement we have made, it is a joint achievement. Not by Akeredolu alone. Akeredolu cannot be everything and I was never everything. Yes, the bulk has to come to my table. There are decisions you take, you don’t even tell me. Today, we talk about roads, we talk about infrastructure. Can Akeredolu be the one that has done everything? It is not possible. It is because you have the opportunity to have one or two who have experience to know where the needs are.
“So, will I now claim that I am the one that did everything? I am not making that claim and I will never. So, I want to thank all the ministries and all the departments. I don’t have to mention names one-by-one. All of you have done very well. I want to praise you for your services. I thank you for overlooking my faults. I am not infallible. I am human. And I am no longer a young man.”
Akeredolu disclosed that he never wanted to be governor of Ondo state, saying it was providence that guided his steps towards the Alagbaka Government House. He said all he desired to be was the President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA). The governor told the outgoing cabinet members that he was surprised when he once heard that his posters had flooded the streets of Akure, the state capital.
“I remember just as Yetunde said. She was the first person that would call me that she saw my posters on the streets of Akure that I am running for governor and she wanted to support me. I told her I was not running for governor. She said she saw it, that people were there and were happy. I said it was not me. I was not running for governor.
“She took the picture and sent it to me. I was in Canada then. I asked, how? What happened? I had to call some of my friends to check. I suspected a fowl play. And that was it. And that was the beginning of the story of my life I never planned for,” Akeredolu said.
He added: “If anybody tells you I wanted to be Governor of this state, tell that person he is lying. I never wanted to be. I must continue to thank Chief Folake Sholanke (SAN). She listened to me the few times she came to my office and warned me and said, ‘you should stop saying this word.’ I said what Ma? She said to me that I kept saying I wanted to be the President of the Bar and that I thanked God I was President and that I needed nothing again.
“She said I didn’t know where God was taking me. President of the Bar was all for me. And she was right. I never knew that God was going to bring me here at all. President of the Bar for me was just everything because that was all I prayed to be. I never planned to come here.
“How would I be planning when I was one of those who fought to install Governor Mimiko in government in court. How would I run against him? I wouldn’t do such. When the pressure was too much, I wrote him a little letter, that we would remain friends, that I was only succumbing to this pressure, that if he won, we would remain friends and if I won, we would remain friends.”
The governor declared that he would always express his mind, saying there is no place for fear in his heart. “I always say to people, I have two heros, Fela Anikulapo Kuti and Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Fela has said so, and I live by it. Fear is not for man. A man must stand. So, fear is not meant for man. If I die now, you won’t say I have not lived. God forbid, if I die now, I will appear on the front pages of all newspapers because I have lived. So, why will I be afraid of dying. I am not afraid of anything any more,” he said.
Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu was sworn in as the sixth civilian governor of Ondo state on February 24, 2017, following his declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the winner of the November 26, 2016 gubernatorial election in the state. In the election, Akeredolu, who was the standard bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC), clinched 224,842 votes to defeat Eyitayo Jegede, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who came second with 126,889 votes and Olusola Oke of the Alliance for Democracy who scored 150,380.
On August 30, six months after he mounted the saddle of leadership in the Sunshine state, Akeredolu inaugurated his commissioners and Special Advisers. The governor had earlier appointed the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and his Chief of Staff. The swearing in of the commissioners and Special Advisers completed the process of composing the State Executive Council.
As the saying goes, everything that has a beginning surely has an end. Last Thursday, February 18, 2021, at exactly 6pm, the curtain was drawn on the executive council. It was time for members of the Akeredolu cabinet to exit the stage after about four years of serving the state and her people.
Few hours before the governor finally dissolved the council, it was an emotional moment. At an extraordinary meeting, valedictory speeches were made, with cabinet members eulogiezing the virtues of the governor and reliving the good moments they had together.
The exiting cabinet members took turns to pour encomiums on Akeredolu, commend the notable feats achieved in his first tenure and offer their views of his personality. To all of them, Governor Akeredolu is a leader who has uncommon passion for the development of the state. According to them, the governor ran the affairs of the state in the last four years with a rare sense of responsibility and patriotism. A view shared by all of them is that Governor Akeredolu is a courageous, audacious, blunt, truthful, sincere and compassionate leader.
The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Temidayo Oluwatuyi, shattered the impression that Akeredolu was an administrator whose approval is difficult to obtain. Oluwatuyi said to get Akeredolu’s nod for anything, you must be ready to deploy convincing arguments. Once you are able to prove the altruism of your proposal and how beneficial it is to the state and her people, be rest assured that you would get the governor’s approval, Oluwatuyi said.
The SSG recalled how he once secured the approval of his boss for 13 out of the 15 files he brought to him. He was then Commissioner for Natural Resources. “When I came back from the governor with the approvals, some people wondered how I performed the miracle. To them, it was a miracle to have gotten the governor to approve 13 of the 15 proposals I brought to him. But I told them that all they needed to sway the mind of Mr Governor was the ability to convince him,” he said.
In the opinion of Olugbenga Ale, Chief of Staff to the Governor, Akeredolu is a leader that cherishes merit. Ale said he was surprised when the governor appointed him as his CoS because he did not lobby for any appointment. To him, Akeredolu is a thorough administration whose eyes don’t gloss over errors. He hailed the governor for being a good representative of Owo town, where he hails from. Ale, who is a retired permanent secretary, commended the governor for not politicising the state civil service.
Akeredolu, according to the CoS, is man who appreciates family values and loves his family so much. He said the way the governor protects and cares for members of his family is worthy of emulation.
The Head of Service, Oluwadare Aragbaye, said Akeredolu is a man who enjoys divine mercy. He ascribed the mercy of God to the purity of Akeredolu’s heart. Aragbaye, who described Akeredolu as a compassionate man, said the governor always has deep feelings for people. Noting that Akeredolu is loyal to friends, Aragbaye said the governor always remember people and keep relationships.
“He said I will give mercy to whom I will give mercy. Check it, anywhere God gives mercy, He will not even look at your sins. And when He gives it, anything you do is ordered by Him. That is what I see that has been working for you, sir. This is because you have a pure heart which does not harbour malice,” Aragbaye said.
The HoS thanked the governor for what he has been able to do for the civil service and government workers in the state. He hailed the appointment of 42 permanent secretaries by during the Akeredolu administration, describing it as unprecedented in the history of the service. Aragbaye mentioned regular promotion as one of the gains of the service from the government.
Donald Ojogo, Commissioner for Information and Orientation, identified grace as the secret behind the string of successes that the Akeredolu has achieved in life. Ojogo described the governor as a benevolent leader, saying he is one of the beneficiaries of his boss’ benevolence. Apart from saying Akeredolu possesses uncommon integrity, honesty and courage, Ojogo added that bluntness of the governor is such that is rare in the country.
These qualities, according to Ojogo, are very difficult for ordinary minds and ordinary eyes to discern. Saying he counted himself lucky to be part of the modest lifestyle of Akeredolu and the modest but very lasting legacies and successes of his administration, Ojogo noted that the governor has never regretted any decision stubbornly taken by him.
He said: “Mr Chairman, before I say anything, don’t conclude and judge me by the sweet words I am about to say. Draw your conclusion after four years through my conduct and my character.
“The most costly and most expensive of all gifts of nature is rare grace of God. You possess it. And the grace of God cannot come without personal moderation and God-given wisdom. You are a man of grace. I congratulate you and I confess that grace.
On August 30, six months after he mounted the saddle of leadership in the Sunshine state, Akeredolu inaugurated his commissioners and Special Advisers. The governor had earlier appointed the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and his Chief of Staff. The swearing in of the commissioners and Special Advisers completed the process of composing the State Executive Council. As the saying goes, everything that has a beginning surely has an end. Last Thursday, February 18, 2021, at exactly 6pm, the curtain was drawn on the executive council. It was time for members of the Akeredolu cabinet to exit the stage after about four years of serving the state and her people. Few hours before the governor finally dissolved the council, it was an emotional moment