With Fisayo Akinduro
Ondo State Governor, Dr Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to advancing education, improving welfare and deepening human-centred governance through deliberate and inclusive policies.
The governor, who had a busy week of official engagements, restated that education remains the bedrock of development and a vital instrument for building a prosperous society.
Speaking at the inauguration of the newly appointed members of the Ondo State Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), held at the Cocoa Conference Hall, Governor’s Office, Akure, Aiyedatiwa described education as the light that guides the path to progress and the bridge between dreams and their realisation.
He said his administration had prioritised the education sector from inception through the recruitment of teachers, rehabilitation of schools and the improvement of monitoring systems, all aimed at repositioning the state’s education for global competitiveness.
“From the very beginning of this administration, we made a solemn commitment to reposition our education sector, not merely as a policy statement, but as a living promise to the children and youth of Ondo State,” the governor said.
He emphasised that no society could rise above the quality of its teachers, noting that his government would continue to invest deliberately in the teaching profession and the institutions that regulate it.
Charging the new TESCOM board members to serve with dedication, fairness and innovation, Aiyedatiwa stressed that their appointments were based on integrity, competence and a proven record of service.
“To the newly appointed members of TESCOM, I say congratulations. This is a call to serve at the most critical human level of development and education. You must engage this role with dedication and vision,” he added.
On the same day, Governor Aiyedatiwa effected off the payment of N1.4bn in gratuities to pensioners who retired from the local government and primary school system in 2014, as part of his administration’s ongoing bulk payment initiative.
The event, held at the Cocoa Conference Hall, Akure, marked another step in clearing the backlog of unpaid entitlements in the state.
Aiyedatiwa explained that the disbursement followed a structured process that prioritises the year of exit from public service as the sole qualification criterion, ensuring transparency and fairness.
He said the initiative was introduced when he served as Deputy Governor, with a policy of setting aside funds periodically for gratuity payments.
“This exercise is in line with our payment process, which has the year of exit as the only factor for qualification. We thank God for enabling us to restore hope to our pensioners who had lost confidence in ever being paid their gratuity in full,” he said.
The governor stressed that his administration did not consider the prompt payment of pensions as an achievement, but a constitutional duty.
He added that the current disbursement would rekindle hope among retirees and reassure serving workers that their entitlements would be paid promptly after retirement.
Aiyedatiwa also announced that the next of kin of three deceased local government workers who died in an accident while on official duty would receive their benefits.
Later in the evening, the governor flagged off the End Polio Now Campaign, organised by Rotary International (District 9126), at the Governor’s Office, Akure, where he reiterated his commitment to public health initiatives.
Continuing his official engagements, Aiyedatiwa, on Tuesday, alongside other progressive governors, received the Governor of Enugu State, Dr Peter Mbah, into the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu, describing his defection as a reflection of the party’s widening national appeal.
Midweek, the governor joined Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and other top government officials at Iperu-Remo, Ogun State, to celebrate the 90th birthday of the matriarch of Governor Dapo Abiodun’s family, where he commended her for a life of faith, service and exemplary motherhood.
Aiyedatiwa later paid a condolence visit to the Akinkugbe family in Victoria Island, Lagos, over the passing of the patriarch and matriarch of the family, Chief Oludolapo Ibukun Akinkugbe and Mrs Janet Oladunni Akinkugbe.
He described the couple as exemplary figures whose lives made enduring impacts in education, medicine and community development, noting that Chief Akinkugbe’s contribution to the establishment and growth of the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo particularly the Pharmacy Department remains an indelible legacy.
Reflecting on the passing of both parents almost at the same time, Aiyedatiwa said it might have been a divine will that they departed together, urging the family to find comfort in the lasting legacies they left behind.
Responding, the son of the deceased, Mr Yinka Akinkugbe, thanked the governor for his visit and commended his accessibility and developmental efforts in Ondo Kingdom.
The governor rounded off his week in Ile-Ife, Osun State, where he joined eminent Nigerians to celebrate the 51st birthday and 10th coronation anniversary of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II.
Governor Aiyedatiwa’s engagements throughout the week reflected his administration’s steady focus on education, welfare and humanity, restating his resolve to build a people-centred government driven by fairness, compassion and purposeful leadership.