The South’s Wasted Slot: Facts Speak Louder Than False Political Narratives

By Comrade Olufemi Lawson

I have read an article titled “Why Should The South Defend A Governor Who Is Wasting Its Slot?” by Wándé T. Àjàyí, one of the House of Assembly Candidates of the Allied Peoples Movement APM in the forthcoming 2027 general election.

While constructive criticism is welcome in a democracy, Wande article’s central argument is fundamentally flawed because it relies on selective facts, sectional sentiments and an unfair comparison of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa with administrations that spent four, seven and eight years in office. Governor Aiyedatiwa is not Governor of Ondo South; he is Governor of the entire Ondo State, and his responsibility is to ensure equitable development across all 18 Local Government Areas. Political rotation should never translate into sectional governance.

Contrary to the impression created by the writer, Ondo South has not been neglected under the Aiyedatiwa administration. The government has undertaken and is pursuing major projects across the district, including the 27-kilometre Okitipupa–Igbokoda dual carriageway; 28-kilometre Ajagba–Iju Osun–Akotogbo Road; 22-kilometre Omotosho–Igbotako–Iju Odo Road; 8.5-kilometre dual carriageway from College Road through Okoga Junction to Irewole Roundabout in Ilaje; and the 6-kilometre NDDC Road in Igbokoda. Approximately 14 kilometres of roads have also been completed across Okitipupa, Irele and Igbotako, alongside several internal roads in Igbokoda, Okitipupa and Irele. These are hardly the footprints of an administration that is “wasting” the Southern slot.

The administration is equally paying attention to the economic potential of Ondo South. Governor Aiyedatiwa has continued efforts to develop the Olokola Free Trade Zone, attract major investors and unlock the coastal economy. His administration has pursued a proposed $4 billion petrochemical and fertiliser plant in the Southern Senatorial District, while also advancing discussions around a Deep Sea Port and coastal tourism development, including a proposed state-owned beach resort. Industrialisation cannot happen overnight; it requires infrastructure, investors, financing, regulatory approvals and sustained government engagement. These initiatives are therefore significant foundations for the economic transformation the article itself demands.

The attempt to reduce the administration’s Southern development record to a sarcastic reference to a two-kilometre concrete walkway in the Governor’s hometown is equally misleading. No serious assessment of government should isolate one relatively modest project and ignore an entire portfolio of roads, industrial initiatives, investment promotion, security, agriculture, education and human-capital interventions. A walkway should be judged by its usefulness to the people, not by the political geography of the Governor who approved it.

Beyond infrastructure, the Aiyedatiwa administration has pursued a broad OUR EASE Agenda covering infrastructure, economic development, education, healthcare, agriculture, security and human capital development. In education, 66 outstanding students and other award recipients have received financial recognition, while seven NYSC National Award recipients were offered automatic employment into the Ondo State Public Service. In agriculture, the government commenced comprehensive registration of farmers to facilitate targeted support. In security, 500 new Amotekun operatives were inducted in 2026, while plans have also been announced for the recruitment of 1,000 youths into the State Forest Guard programme. These are investments in people and institutions, not merely concrete structures.

The most glaring weakness in the article is its comparison of Aiyedatiwa with Governors Gboyega Adefarati, Olusegun Agagu, Olusegun Mimiko and Rotimmi Akeredolu without accounting for their length of service. Some of those administrations had four, seven or eight years to conceive, fund, execute and commission projects. Governor Aiyedatiwa has been in office for less than two years within the period being assessed. It is therefore unfair and logically defective to place the accumulated legacies of administrations that enjoyed several years in office against the record of a relatively young administration and demand an equivalent catalogue of completed projects. A fair assessment must consider both time in office and performance within that period.

It is also important to reject the idea that development must be distributed according to a “senatorial turn.” Ondo South deserves development, but so do Ondo Central and Ondo North. The child in Ilaje deserves the same attention as the child in Akoko; the farmer in Ose deserves access to markets just as the trader in Okitipupa deserves good roads; and an infrastructure project in Akure does not become less valuable because the Governor comes from the South. The objective should be equitable statewide development, not sectional entitlement.

Indeed, the administration has approved and pursued township road interventions across the 18 Local Government Areas, demonstrating its commitment to statewide development. Governor Aiyedatiwa should therefore be judged by the totality of his interventions: the roads being constructed and completed, investments being attracted, security being strengthened, farmers being supported, students being encouraged, industries being pursued and the economic foundations being laid for the future.

Nobody is suggesting that Governor Aiyedatiwa has done everything. Ondo South deserves more, Ondo Central deserves more and Ondo North deserves more. But demanding more is different from falsely suggesting that nothing is happening. If there are specific projects that should be prioritised, the appropriate thing is to identify them and engage government constructively rather than dismiss an entire administration as a failure.

Governor Aiyedatiwa therefore cannot be distracted by political narratives or unnecessary sectional controversies. His responsibility is to remain focused on delivering the promises contained in the OUR EASE Agenda, completing ongoing projects, attracting investment, creating jobs, improving infrastructure, strengthening education and healthcare, supporting agriculture and ensuring security across Ondo State.

The South does not need a sectional Governor; it needs a competent Governor whose statewide development agenda also delivers substantially for the South. The evidence shows that Ondo South is receiving attention, while the rest of the State is equally benefiting from the administration’s policies and projects.

Ultimately, Governor Aiyedatiwa should be judged by facts, figures, projects and results, not sarcasm, sectional expectations or premature comparisons with administrations that spent substantially longer periods in office. He has not less than two years to the end of his current tenure and should therefore be encouraged to finish strong, accelerate ongoing projects and fully implement the OUR EASE Agenda.

The scorecard, not political rhetoric, should determine the verdict.

Comrade Olufemi Lawson is the Senior Special Assistant on Public Enlightenment to the Executive Governor of Ondo State.