Group berates Ondo Govt over underperformance, underdevelopment
…Urges Aiyedatiwa to address insecurity, education, infrastructure challenges
The Ondo Redemption Front (ORF) has expressed concern over the uncertainty, mismanagement, and a widening disconnect between the government and the governed in Ondo State.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, the Chairman and Secretary of the group, Dr. Ayodeji Ologun and Barrister Adedotun Ajulo, said the cracks of incompetence have become too glaring to ignore in security, education, health, and infrastructure sectors of the state.
Speaking on insecurity, the group said the safety of lives and property remains the foremost duty of any responsible government. “Yet, in Ondo State, the situation is becoming increasingly worrisome.
“Within the Amotekun Corps, the State’s much-celebrated security outfit, morale is at an all-time low. Reports from within the organisation reveal that most of the officers are still operating as contract staff, having not been issued formal letters of appointment.
“This anomaly not only violates the principle of fair employment but also undermines the efficiency and discipline of the Corps. How can one expect total dedication from men and women who serve under the fear of being dismissed at any moment?
“Those who work for the state have legitimate expectations of benefits and stability. Denying them these rights creates fertile ground for corruption, disloyalty, and inefficiency.
“A security personnel, uncertain of his tomorrow, cannot give his best today. Equally troubling is the recent revelation of a leaked DSS intelligence report warning of an imminent terrorist attack in parts of the State.
“Such intelligence should have triggered swift and visible government action, not another round of rhetoric and posturing for which this administration has become notorious.”
On the issue of infrastructure, Ologun said the story remains one of unfulfilled promises and exaggerated claims. He said the much-publicised dualization of the Akure–Idanre Road was flagged off with great fanfare, sirens, and speeches.
“Yet, months after, the project drags on at a snail’s pace. Within the Akure metropolis, the inner roads are riddled with potholes, flooding, and neglect.
“Across the state from Ore to Ikare, from Owo to Okitipupa, the story is the same: roads abandoned, communities disconnected, and taxpayers shortchanged.
“With the enormous resources flowing into the state treasury from the federation account, the current level of infrastructure development cannot be justified.
“The government has perfected the art of cosmetic governance, painting over cracks instead of fixing the foundation.
“This administration lacks the capacity for strategic thinking, coherent planning, and sustainable implementation. It thrives on optics, not outcomes.
“Policies are announced without frameworks, projects are launched without designs, and initiatives are publicised without continuity.
“Ondo State is in dire need of leadership that can think beyond press releases, that can translate resources into real development, and that understands governance as service, not spectacle,” he said.
The group reiterated that education remains the soul of development, but in Ondo State today, that soul is being starved.
“At Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, AAUA, lecturers and staff are groaning under the weight of unpaid salaries, a clear betrayal of commitment by a government that claims to prioritise education.
“The ripple effect of this neglect is predictable: falling morale, declining productivity, and a gradual collapse of academic excellence for which the institution was once renowned.
“At Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, the story is one of stagnation and deception. Over a year after the government announced the institution’s upgrade to a university, nothing tangible has followed, no action plan, no implementation blueprint, no physical sign of progress.
“What exists are mere words, spoken for applause and quickly forgotten. To compound the insult, workers at the polytechnic are still waiting for the fulfilment of promises made nearly two years ago to clear their salary arrears.
“Governor Aiyedatiwa recently made yet another promise to settle those debts. We can only hope this is not another hollow vow destined to vanish into the usual fog of propaganda.”
The Ondo Redemption Front also condemned the recent decision of the state government to transfer the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED) Teaching Hospital in Akure to the Federal Government.
It said this decision is ill-conceived and exposes the lack of vision and strategic thinking within the Aiyedatiwa administration.
“There is no law that forbids a state from operating two teaching hospitals. On the contrary, with our growing population and the fragile state of our healthcare system, what Ondo State needs is more, not fewer, tertiary health institutions.
“By surrendering one of its key medical facilities, the government has signalled weakness, not wisdom. A responsible government should strengthen its healthcare assets, not trade them off to cover its own inefficiency.
“Beyond policy missteps, the realities in our hospitals are heartbreaking. Across the state, from Akure to Owo, from Ikare to Irele, hospitals are understaffed, under-equipped, and increasingly unsafe.
“At night, many are thrown into darkness due to a poor power supply, leaving patients at the mercy of fate.
“Essential drugs are scarce. Diagnostic services are either unavailable or exorbitantly priced. Patients are forced to patronise private laboratories and pharmacies at unbearable costs.
“Our hospitals, instead of being healing centres, have become places of despair, a milking point for the sick and the helpless,” it said.
