Akeredolu’s Message On Democracy Day Lacks Empathy

SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY

That Governor Akeredolu’s Empty “Democracy Day” Press Statement

The Social Democratic Party in Ondo State find it very distressing and alarming that Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu’s Press Statement on the Democracy Day fell short of expectation in every way that could be evaluated. The Press Statement, which is the worst since Governor Akeredolu assumed office in 2017, was embellished with extraneous issues and executive regurgitations, purposefully designed by his handlers to sway the good people of Ondo State and divert attention from the many failures of his administration.

The few people who bordered to pay attention to the Press Statement were peeved because Mr. Governor failed to show even the slightest empathy to millions of citizens groaning under the worst form of dearth, starvation and economic hardship occasioned by the careless removal of subsidies by the APC-led federal government.

Every politics and issue is local. Leaders are chosen at the state level to put policies into place that would improve life for the people in their various states. Even when national issues have a propensity to affect people's livelihood at the state level as we are currently witnessing with the fuel spike, part of the state government’s responsibility is to introduce policies that would relive the burden on their people.

Although he was elected to address state-level challenges, our highly revered Governor spent the entirety of the press statement focusing on national issues like restructuring and other national issues. 

Every paragraph of the press statement demonstrates Governor Akeredolu’s aloofness to the plight of his people. In actuality, there was no mention of providing palliative measures for the suffering people in Ondo State in the supposed Democratic Day message.

When other state governors used Democracy Day celebrations as an opportunity to announce progressive and practicable policies to address the economic crisis in their states, our governor's statement succeeded in demonstrating his lack of concern for the welfare of the same people who twice elected him to office.

We are in a critical time when the staff of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, threatened to down tools over a non-payment of 13 months salaries. We are in a situation where local government workers are being owed backlog of salaries. Ultimately, we are at the phase where uncertainties hovered around the future of our promising teenagers as many of them risk dropping out because their parents cannot afford to pay for their daily transit to and from school. The Democracy Day gave an opportunity for our governor to address these issues, but he chose not to do so. Thus, the Press Statement portrays him as an insensitive leader.

Indeed, the press statement's lack of empathy demonstrates to us that it must have been issued as a last-minute decision made to spare the governor and the Ondo APC the public outcry that would have resulted from the government's failure to say anything on such an important day. By introducing significant programmes that would help lessen the impact of the fuel price increase on the good people of Ondo State, they would have taken advantage of the Democracy Day occasion to demonstrate that there were no loopholes in the governance of Ondo State. On the contrary, their press statement succeeded in convincing us that the governor's absence is having an impact on governance by showing us an administration that seems to have lost touch with the state's current reality. 

The Press Statement said nothing on the humongous allegation of corruption levelled against the government, where APC leaders and cabals at Alagbaka were alleged to have diverted the $20 million NG-CARES grant. Most importantly, in the state where Local Government election process is already underway, the Press Statement had no committing words on Democracy Day towards the conduct of free, fair and credible Local Government election.

Governor Akeredolu and his APC must realise that they have started irritating the good people of Ondo State. As a ruling party, we charge them to show more maturity and shed penchant for covering up, insensitivity to people’s plight, lies, deceit and unnecessary media attacks.

 Theirs is clearly a case of a dishonest drummer who beats his drums in the shadow of a bush only to leap to the sidewalk to inquire about the source of the sound. Under their watchful eyes, all our palliative measures – like the free school shuttle buses – and essential sector – like the University of Medicine (UNIMED) became moribund and lifeless. They must bring them back to life or reintroduce them.

Given the current situation, we can only encourage the prayers warriors around to pray for APC and our beloved state as we work together to put our dear Sunshine State on the road to greatness. On our part in Ondo SDP, we remained dedicated and committed to the welfare of the good people of Ondo State as well as the interests of the state.

Hon. Stephen Adewale

Ondo State Chairman

Social Democratic Party (SDP