On Thursday, Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the just sworn-in governor of Ondo State, pledged to mobilize all relevant parties to “move the state forward.”
When Aiyedatiwa saw President Bola Tinubu late on Thursday night in Lagos, he announced his intention to “pull everybody to work together and see how we can move the state forward”.
His remarks were made just twenty-four hours after he was sworn in as governor in the wake of former Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’s death.
Aiyedatiwa said he received “advice and encouragement” from the President to “take charge and mobilise everybody,” in his state to continue with the business of governance.
On Wednesday, the Ondo State Government announced the death of Akeredolu after a long battle with prostate cancer.
His demise is the first for a sitting Ondo Governor and the fourth in the nation’s recent history.
Others who died in office are Shehu Kangiwa of Sokoto (1981), Mamman Ali of Yobe (2009) and Patrick Yakowa of Kaduna (2012).
Aiyedatiwa explained that he visited the President to “further brief him on the events that happened in our state; the loss of our governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, and to also let him know that I have just been sworn in, because there can never be a vacuum, as the governor of Ondo State, being his former deputy.”
He said the closed-door meeting also saw him “thank President Tinubu for standing by us during the critical moment in our state. It’s no longer news what happened in the last six months in Ondo State that was in the news.”
“Ondo State was practically in the news almost every day in the last six months, but all that has been put to rest now, and he stood by us as the President of the country.
“So I’m here to just thank him for being a father figure to the state, all his advice and the development right now and what we are looking forward to do in the days ahead,” he added.
Meanwhile, his Ogun State counterpart, Dapo Abiodun, said he paid a condolence visit to the President and to apprise him of the state’s plans for the new year.
Abiosun said “Yesterday, we woke up with the breaking news of the passing of our senior colleague, who also was the chairman of the Southwest governors forum and the chairman of the Southern Governors Forum, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.
“I came to commiserate with Mr. President, knowing how close he was to Mr. President, how loyal he was and how supportive he was of Mr. President in the course of his journey to Aso Rock.
“I also took the opportunity to apprise him of our journey so far in Ogun state, how well we’re doing; the fact that we are the most improved economy in Nigeria today, and one of the fastest growing economies in Nigeria today, and how well we are doing as a state and what we are poised to achieve and position to achieve in the new year.”