The attention of the Opomulero Group has been drawn to the report attributed to StatiSense and published by The Guardian, which purportedly rated the performance of the Ondo State Government under Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa.
While every independent assessment is entitled to scrutiny, it is important to state unequivocally that the report, as presented, does not sufficiently reflect the realities of governance and measurable development outcomes in Ondo State.
If an assessment is presented as an objective performance index, the methodology, data sources, indicators and criteria used must be transparent enough for the public to interrogate. Citizens deserve facts, not unexplained scores or conclusions that appear disconnected from verifiable government records.
The question is simple: how can a government that has substantially reduced its domestic debt, cleared inherited obligations, recruited thousands of workers, invested heavily in healthcare and education, constructed and rehabilitated roads, strengthened security and attracted major investments be casually presented as a low-performing administration without a comprehensive explanation of the parameters used?
AIYEDATIWA’S FISCAL DISCIPLINE CANNOT BE WISHED AWAY
One of the clearest indicators of responsible governance is prudent financial management.
According to the Debt Management Office figures cited by the state government, Ondo State reduced its domestic debt from about ₦74 billion in 2023 to approximately ₦12 billion in 2024 — an 82.6 per cent reduction.
That is not propaganda. It is a measurable fiscal outcome.
More importantly, the administration has simultaneously addressed outstanding obligations, including salary arrears and pension-related liabilities.
Therefore, any performance assessment that gives little or no meaningful consideration to such a dramatic improvement in the state’s fiscal position immediately raises questions about the comprehensiveness of the assessment.
HEALTHCARE: THE RECORD SPEAKS LOUDER THAN A RATING
The healthcare sector provides another compelling example.
The administration has recruited more than 1,000 health professionals, improved remuneration for health workers, expanded health insurance coverage and invested substantially in healthcare infrastructure.
Ondo State has also implemented enhanced CONMESS and CONHESS allowances for health workers, while more than 100 health centres have reportedly been renovated.
Modern diagnostic equipment, including MRI, CT scan, digital mammography and other facilities, has been provided at the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital.
The approval of a ₦1 billion hospital intervention fund further demonstrates that healthcare is not being treated as a ceremonial item in the government’s agenda.
If these interventions are insufficient to constitute meaningful performance, then the public deserves to know what objective benchmark is being applied.
ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE ARE NOT AI-GENERATED — THEY ARE ON THE GROUND
Across Ondo State, roads and other infrastructure projects are visible.
Major road projects, including the Akungba–Ikare, Akure–Idanre and Okitipupa–Igbokoda corridors, are receiving attention, while road rehabilitation is being distributed across the 18 Local Government Areas.
The administration has also completed and commissioned an inherited flyover project while another is under construction.
In the riverine areas, concrete jetties and walkways are being developed to address the peculiar transportation challenges of those communities.
These are physical projects that citizens can see, use and assess themselves.
EDUCATION: INVESTMENT IN THE FUTURE
The recruitment of more than 2,000 teachers, payment of WAEC examination fees, scholarships and bursaries, renovation of classrooms, provision of furniture and learning materials, and support for technical education are concrete interventions.
The government has also strengthened the school transportation programme and continued investment in tertiary institutions.
These interventions may be subject to legitimate criticism — and no responsible government should be above criticism — but reducing such a record to a simplistic low-performance rating without adequately accounting for the scale of intervention is intellectually questionable.
WATER, POWER, AGRICULTURE AND INDUSTRIALISATION
The renewed attention to the Owena Dam and expansion of water infrastructure demonstrate an attempt to address challenges that have existed for decades.
In the power sector, programmes such as Light-Up Akure, Lucky Light, mass metering and proposed alternative power generation initiatives indicate a government attempting to confront one of the state’s most difficult economic challenges.
Agriculture has also received substantial attention through rural access roads, farmer support, cocoa development, youth training and investment initiatives.
Most significantly, Ondo State continues to pursue large-scale industrial investments around the Deep Sea Port, Free Trade Zone, refinery, fertiliser and petrochemical projects.
The return of the Dangote Group to Ondo State is itself a development that should be viewed within the broader context of investment attraction and industrialisation.
EMPLOYMENT AND SECURITY
The administration has recruited thousands of personnel across critical sectors, particularly education and healthcare, while also implementing skills-acquisition and empowerment programmes.
In security, the strengthening of the Amotekun Corps, recruitment of additional personnel, provision of operational vehicles and establishment of a Command and Control Centre demonstrate a deliberate effort to improve the state’s security architecture.
Again, these are not abstract claims. They are measurable interventions that should form part of any serious assessment of governance.
STATISENSE SHOULD SHOW ITS WORK
We are not saying Governor Aiyedatiwa’s administration is perfect.
There are still challenges in Ondo State. There are expectations yet to be fully met, and there is always room for improvement. Constructive criticism is healthy in a democracy.
But there is a fundamental difference between constructive criticism and a rating whose methodology and conclusions appear inconsistent with publicly verifiable outcomes.
If StatiSense believes that Governor Aiyedatiwa’s administration deserves a poor performance rating, then it owes the people of Ondo State a detailed explanation of how it arrived at that conclusion.
What indicators were used?
What data were analysed?
What period was examined?
Were fiscal responsibility, healthcare outcomes, infrastructure, education, employment, security, investment attraction and debt reduction properly weighted?
Were independent government records consulted?
These questions deserve answers.
Ondo people are capable of judging performance for themselves. They do not need an opaque rating to tell them whether a road has been constructed, whether a hospital has received equipment, whether a teacher has been recruited, whether a debt has been reduced or whether an investment has returned to the state.
The responsibility of analysts is to illuminate facts, not obscure them.
Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa should therefore remain focused on delivering on the OUR EASE Agenda rather than being distracted by questionable ratings.
The Opomulero Group will continue to support accountability, transparency and constructive criticism, but we will equally resist every attempt to misrepresent the progress of Ondo State or diminish measurable achievements through poorly explained assessments.
A rating cannot cancel reality. An algorithm cannot erase a completed project. A score cannot rewrite fiscal records. And no report — however prominently published — can make the people of Ondo State blind to what is happening around them.
The standard must remain simple: facts, evidence and verifiable outcomes.
Olasupo Olakunori Michael
Director-General, Opomulero Group
