By Sunmola Olowookere, Bukola Olamona & Saheed Ibrahim

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As Ondo State clocks 45 years today, eminent citizens have described the state as toeing the path of greatness with many milestone achievements particularly in the industrial, education, health and infrastructural sectors.
Despite this, they are however of the opinion that there are still many hurdles to cross.
Ondo State was created on February 3, 1976 by the General Muritala Mohammed led military administration from the old Western Region.
Those who spoke with The Hope in separate interviews included the leader of the Pan Yoruba Sociocultural Group, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, retired Bishop of Akure Anglican Diocese, Rt Rev. Bolanle Gbonigi, Bishop of Catholic Diocese of Ondo, Most Revd Jude Ayodeji Arogundade and the Chief Imam of Akure, Sheik Abdul-Akeem Akorede.
The leader of the Yoruba Socio Cultural Group, Afenifere, Pa. Reuben Fasoranti said for the fact that all the agitations of the founding fathers of the state have not been achieved does not mean that the state has not progressed.
He said like any other state, the people of Ondo State have benefitted what rightly belonged to them with the creation of the state in 1976
Fasoranti who said a lot still needed to be done, submitted that past governors in the state have contributed immensely towards the development of the state.
His words: “I think there are more to be done to achieve the aims of those who fought for the creation of the state “.
Bishop Bolanle Gbonigi decried the spate of insecurity which he said has slowed down the rate of development in the state despite the lofty expectations of the leaders.
Gbonigi who lauded the decision of the state government in flushing out criminals disguised as herdsmen out of the forests, described the rate of killings and kidnapping as saddening.
He opined that it would be beneficial to the development and peace of the state if the herdsmen went back to their states of origin and then could be sending their goods to the southwest.
The Grand Chief Imam of Akure Kingdom, Sheik Abdul-Akeem Akorede said the good people of Ondo state had cause to be grateful to God, adding that since the state creation, it had continued to excel.
While highlighting the progress of the state from 1999 till date, he noted that each of the governors had contributed towards the development of the state.
Sheik Akorede commended Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu for his continuity agenda and by ensuring that his developmental projects cut across the 18 local government areas of the state.
“Akeredolu did not abandon projects by past administrations; he continued from where the last Governor stopped. He also initiated many developmental projects across sectors for the progress of the state.
“He is constructing roads. The way he has constructed roads in Ondo state, if past governors had done same, we might not have any untarred road in the state. All these showed that we are moving forward,” Akorede said.
While noting that the state had not reached its promised land, he recommended support and prayer for the state leadership.
Bishop Jude Arogundade described Ondo State as a strategic state in the south west set on the path of greatness which the founding fathers had dreamt of in areas such as education, agriculture, economy, health among others.
He stated that the state has abundance of natural resources such as solid minerals, crude oil, fertile farm lands, rivers that were expected to give ample opportunity for the people and the state to develop.
He commended the effort of the State government in wealth creation, expressing the belief that it will help to develop the economy of the state. He congratulated governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu on the journey so far and expressed that the state could do better.
He lamented that an area imbued with rich forests and trees, its people were only exploiting the resources without reinvesting adequately.
He said that generally, successive administrations made efforts to develop the state but regretted that lopsided Nigeria’s economic and political systems are truncating the efforts.
He said that the State should be the heart of education in Nigeria as some of the state’s indigenes are bright and brilliant but the system of education is not encouraging.
He called for more unity and a system where the youth will be more engaged to participate in the development of the state.