Akeredolu Family Criticises Naming Of Incomplete High Court Complex After Late Governor

The family of the late Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, has expressed dissatisfaction with the decision to name a new High Court complex in his honour while the project remains incomplete.

In a press release issued on Monday, Babajide Akeredolu, speaking on behalf of the family, described the gesture as “premature and insincere,” despite acknowledging that the project was dear to the late governor.

The statement reads, “We acknowledge and commend Governor Aiyedatiwa for performing the groundbreaking ceremony for the proposed judicial complex, a project initiated by Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu. As a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and a passionate advocate for the judiciary, this project was close to his heart.

“However, the current politics surrounding the project are glaring. Naming a project after someone before its completion is both premature and insincere. True immortality lies in completing the project and ensuring its functionality. If the governor is genuinely committed to honouring Arakunrin Akeredolu’s legacy, he must demonstrate this through actions, not empty gestures.”

On December 27, 2024, Aiyedatiwa noted that it was his late principal’s desire to “provide a state-of-the-art high court complex to enhance the workload and welfare of our judiciary.”

“Naming this project the Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu Judiciary Complex is a fitting way to immortalise his legacy.”

However, the late governor’s widow, Betty, rejected the planned memorial lecture in Akeredolu’s honour, as organised by the state government.

“Which legacy? Lecture, my foot! This is not for Aketi because my family and I are not aware. Damn it! As the saying goes: You and your co-travellers cannot shave Aketi’s head in his absence. You cannot weep more than the bereaved. This is insidious propaganda carried too far! Lucky, you are preoccupied with rubbishing Aketi’s legacy; you can’t succeed, anyway,” she lamented, among other remarks.

To corroborate Betty’s position, the late governor’s family stated the significance of addressing the controversies surrounding Akeredolu’s remembrance, notably the lecture series organised by Aiyedatiwa, which coincided with the family’s event in the Owo.

The statement pointed out that the governor was kept informed of the family’s intention to honour Akeredolu but was “both shocked and deeply disappointed” to learn about the state-organised event through social media, just three days before it was held.

“Even more disappointing was that no member of the Akeredolu family was invited to this event.”

The statement read, in part: “It is important to state unequivocally that Governor Aiyedatiwa was aware of the Akeredolu family’s plans for the remembrance. My uncle and head of the Akeredolu family, Prof Wole Akeredolu, personally informed the governor at his monthly praise night in November at the Dome in Akure. The governor acknowledged this and affirmed that the state government would be a part of the event.

“This lack of courtesy and respect is unheard of and unbecoming, especially for an event meant to honour the memory of a former governor and patriarch. While we recognise that the state government has the prerogative to organise such events, basic decency and protocol demand that the family of the deceased be informed and included. This glaring oversight leads one to question whether it was intentional mischief or based on erroneous advice from the governor’s aides.”

However, to honour his predecessor, the family urged Aiyedatiwa to, “Upgrade the Rufus Giwa Polytechnic to a university. All preliminary studies and recommendations for this upgrade were completed during Akeredolu’s administration. The governor should expedite this process to fulfil his predecessor’s vision.”

“Complete the first flyover in Akure, the state capital,” adding that “the flyover at Onyearugbulem Junction, a turnkey project meant to be completed within 18 months, is crawling at a snail’s pace. Its completion would be a fitting honour to Akeredolu’s commitment to infrastructure development.”

Akeredolu’s family also urged the governor to address abandoned road projects, support civil servants by addressing discrepancies in salary payments, resolve the issue of unpaid deductions, and address the lack of funding for ministries and parastatals, among others.

The family warned that Akeredolu’s love for Ondo State and its people “must not be diminished by retrogressive policies or political gimmicks,” adding that the governor “must halt the vindictive and divisive acts of punishing or ostracising anyone associated with Arakunrin Akeredolu.

“To the people of Ondo State, we remain forever thankful for your love and support. We assure you that we will continue to uphold the legacy of our late patriarch, speak truth to power, and hold leaders accountable.”