By Kanu Samuel
Ondo State Governor, Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, on Thursday swore in a commissioner, special advisers and Tutors-General, while inaugurating chairmen and members of various commissions and boards with a charge to justify the confidence reposed in them through measurable performance.
The ceremony, held at the International Centre for Culture and Events (The Dome), Igbatoro Road, Akure, also featured a warning by the governor against rivalry, bureaucratic obstruction, mediocrity and misuse of public trust.
Those sworn in included Erelu Taibat Yemi Oloruntoba as Commissioner for Special Duties; Rt. Hon. Abimbola Fajolu as Special Adviser on Environment; Chief Ade Adeniyi as Special Adviser on Rural and Community Development; Mr Muyiwa Ogunyemi as Special Adviser on Transport; Mr Femi Fadairo as Special Adviser on Special Duties and Strategy; and Rt. Hon. Iroju Ogundeji as Special Adviser on Legislative Matters.
The three newly appointed Tutors-General are Mr Iwagun Austin Olusola for Ondo South Senatorial District, Dr Jogbodo Bosede for Ondo Central and Mr Fasawe Toluwalase Abayomi for Ondo North.
The governor also inaugurated Dr Man Ali as Chairman of the Ondo State Civil Service Commission, with Mr Michael Oshodi as a member; Mr Oladimeji Abimbola as Chairman of the Ondo State Sports Council, alongside members; Mrs Olufunmilayo Ademulegun-Brown as Chairman of the Ondo State Universal Basic Education Board, alongside members; and Pastor Segun Ayerin as Chairman of the Ondo State Local Government Service Commission, alongside members.
Others inaugurated were Alhaji Adam Chandy as Chairman of the Ondo State Muslim Welfare Board; Pastor Peter Abimbola as Chairman of the Christian Welfare Board; Mr Oluyemi Fasipe as Chairman of the Ondo State Competition and Consumer Protection Agency; and Mr Omolade Fabiyi as Chairman of the Ondo State Cocoa Revolution and Management Board, alongside members.
Aiyedatiwa said the exercise was more than a constitutional ritual, describing it as an opportunity to renew the covenant of service, reaffirm commitment to good governance and strengthen the institutional structures through which government meets its obligations to the people.
He congratulated the appointees, saying they were selected from among qualified sons and daughters of the state on the basis of competence, experience, character and capacity to contribute to Ondo State’s development.
The governor, however, reminded them that public office was a trust and not a reward, while appointment should not be regarded as a trophy for personal gratification but as a mandate to serve and deliver results.
According to him, the appointees are assuming office at a time when citizens’ expectations of government are higher and more complex, making tangible results more important than rhetoric.
Aiyedatiwa charged the commissioner, special advisers and Tutors-General to demonstrate competence, loyalty, discretion, intellectual courage and measurable performance.
He also urged chairmen and members of the various commissions and boards to uphold merit, fairness, transparency, professionalism and due process in the discharge of their responsibilities.
The governor cautioned against allowing personal preferences and sectional interests to influence decisions relating to appointments, careers, regulation, resources and public services.
He urged the appointees to work together as “One Administration and one team”, warning against needless rivalry, bureaucratic obstruction, mediocrity and misuse of public trust.
Aiyedatiwa further directed them to familiarise themselves with the administration’s “OUR EASE” development agenda and maintain financial prudence, stressing that the people of Ondo State must remain the ultimate beneficiaries of every policy, budgetary allocation and government decision.
The governor also announced that following a mid-year assessment of the 2026 Appropriation Law, the state’s budgetary framework had been increased from N524.411 billion to N769.384 billion.
He said the additional resources would be channelled towards roads, water, healthcare and other critical infrastructure.
According to him, at least five kilometres of roads would be constructed in each of the state’s 18 local government areas, translating to a minimum of 90 kilometres of roads across Ondo State.
He added that additional provision had been made for the construction of the Adegbola–St Mathias Flyover along Oba Adesida Road in Alagbaka, Akure.
As the next electoral season approaches, Aiyedatiwa reaffirmed his commitment to the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the success of all candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), recalling his earlier Executive Order declaring Ondo State for Tinubu in 2027.
He urged the appointees to discharge their responsibilities with humility, excellence and integrity, and to ensure that every institution under their watch was left better than they found it.
Earlier, the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Taiwo Fasoranti, said holding public office came with the responsibility to uphold fundamental rights and practise responsible governance.
Fasoranti highlighted the critical roles of the appointees in sustaining the state’s development momentum in infrastructure, education, health and agriculture.
He said their efforts must align with the broader vision of building an economically self-sufficient and prosperous Ondo State.
The SSG commended Aiyedatiwa’s leadership for laying what he described as a firm foundation for future development and urged the new appointees to work as a unified team, with loyalty, transparency and dedication to the people as the guiding principles of their service.
While wishing them success, Fasoranti encouraged the appointees to use their tenure to leave a lasting legacy in the state.
Responding on behalf of the appointees, the new Commissioner for Special Duties, Erelu Taibat Yemi Oloruntoba, thanked the governor for the confidence reposed in them.
Oloruntoba assured the governor that the appointees would justify the trust by bringing their experience, commitment and expertise to bear on their respective responsibilities.
The event was attended by the Deputy Governor, Dr Olayide Adelami; the Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Olamide Oladiji, who was represented by his deputy, Rt. Hon. Ololade Gbegudu; the state Chairman of the APC, Hon. Kolawole Babatunde; Chief of Staff, Prince Segun Omojuwa; Head of Service, Chief Segun Odusanya; members of the State Executive Council; political appointees; traditional rulers; religious leaders and other dignitaries.
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