By DG Opomulero

Oloroogun Sola Ajisafe should stop pretending that his latest attack on Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa is simply an innocent exercise in journalism or civic responsibility.

Ondo people are not fools. We can read between the lines.

There is a difference between constructive criticism and a deliberate campaign to damage the reputation of a sitting governor. There is also a difference between demanding accountability and desperately looking for political relevance.

Ajisafe’s latest article crosses that line.

He has taken every challenge confronting the state, magnified it, attached the word “failure” to it, ignored the achievements of the administration and then presented his political interpretation as though it were an independent verdict of the people of Ondo State.

It is not.

WHO ARE YOU REALLY SPEAKING FOR?

Ajisafe should tell Ondo people plainly: whose interest is he actually representing?

Because this sudden enthusiasm to portray everything happening in Ondo State as a crisis looks less like concern for the ordinary people and more like a political audition for the attention of powerful people in Abuja.

We have seen this pattern before.

Some individuals discover that attacking a governor is an easy way to get noticed by Abuja political circles. They write inflammatory articles, manufacture narratives of crisis, exaggerate every government challenge and attempt to create the impression that the state is collapsing.

The expectation is obvious: create enough political noise and perhaps Abuja will notice you.

But let Ajisafe hear this clearly:

Ondo State is not your political CV.

You cannot use the name of Ondo people as a bargaining chip for personal relevance.

AIYEDATIWA IS NOT RUNNING A GOVERNMENT FROM NEWSPAPER HEADLINES

Governor Aiyedatiwa is busy governing.

While some people are busy writing that nothing is happening, the administration is implementing programmes, supporting workers, improving healthcare, investing in education, pursuing infrastructure development and creating opportunities for the people.

More than 3,000 employment opportunities have been created across different sectors under this administration.

These are not abstract numbers.

Behind those opportunities are young Ondo people who can now earn incomes, support families and build their future.

Workers have benefited from promotions and welfare interventions.

Retirees have received substantial gratuity payments.

Students have received support.

Healthcare has received attention.

Power-sector reforms are being pursued to attract investment.

Strategic projects around Owena Dam and renewable energy are being advanced.

Infrastructure projects are ongoing across the state.

Yet Ajisafe wants Ondo people to believe that the government is simply sitting down and doing nothing.

Who exactly is he trying to deceive?

AN UNFINISHED PROJECT IS NOT AN ABANDONED GOVERNMENT

Ajisafe’s argument appears to be very simple:

Project not finished? Government failed.

Problem exists? Government failed.

Someone complains? Government failed.

A deadline changes? Government failed.

That is not serious governance analysis.

Major public projects have contractual procedures, funding schedules, technical requirements, certifications and variations.

If a project is delayed, the appropriate question is why?

Was the contractor paid?

Was there a variation?

Was there a technical challenge?

Was there a contractual issue?

What is the revised timeline?

Those are the questions responsible journalists should ask.

Instead, Ajisafe reaches for dramatic conclusions.

We reject that politics disguised as accountability.

BRING THE EVIDENCE ON THE JUDICIARY COMPLEX

Ajisafe cites a supposed “37%” completion assessment of the Akeredolu Judiciary Complex.

Fine.

Publish the report.

Who conducted it?

When was it conducted?

Who commissioned it?

What methodology was used?

What is the certified level of completion?

What is the contractual payment position?

What is the contractor’s current commitment?

Ondo people deserve answers.

Not a percentage pulled into a political article without the supporting evidence.

THE ODOUR INCIDENT SHOULD NOT BECOME A POLITICAL GOLDMINE

Nobody should trivialise environmental concerns.

The government has a responsibility to protect residents.

But responsible governance also requires investigation and technical assessment.

The administration responded through relevant agencies.

If Ajisafe believes the response was inadequate, he should provide evidence and recommendations.

What he should not do is exploit citizens’ legitimate concern to construct an exaggerated narrative that Governor Aiyedatiwa is incapable of governing.

That is political opportunism.

ON ASUU AND OUR UNIVERSITIES

Yes, labour issues deserve attention.

Yes, government should engage university workers.

Yes, students deserve uninterrupted academic programmes.

But tertiary education is a complex system involving government, university managements, governing councils and unions.

Ajisafe cannot simply point to a labour disagreement and declare the Governor incompetent.

If there is a specific obligation the state government has failed to meet, show the document.

If there is a specific amount approved but deliberately withheld, show the evidence.

If the Governor personally ordered that workers should not be paid, prove it.

Otherwise, stop turning every institutional challenge into a political indictment of Governor Aiyedatiwa.

THE REAL “SLUDGE” IS POLITICAL DESPERATION

Ajisafe calls the administration’s problems “sludge.”

I call what we are witnessing political sludge.

It is what happens when someone deliberately collects every negative story, ignores every positive development and packages them into a political campaign against a government.

It is what happens when critics are more interested in proving government is failing than in helping government succeed.

And it is what happens when the political reward appears to matter more than the welfare of the people being used as the excuse.

Ondo people are watching this game.

ABUJA SHOULD NOT BE THE DESTINATION OF ONDO’S PROBLEMS

Let me make something very clear.

If anyone believes that constantly attacking Governor Aiyedatiwa will earn them political rewards, appointments or recognition in Abuja, they should think again.

Ondo people will not be used as political currency.

We will not allow anybody to manufacture a crisis in Ondo State simply to make himself attractive to political power brokers elsewhere.

If you want an appointment, pursue it openly.

If you want political relevance, seek it legitimately.

If you want to contest an election, declare your ambition.

But do not disguise personal political ambition as journalism and use the name of Ondo State to advance it.

AIYEDATIWA HAS NOTHING TO FEAR FROM SCRUTINY

Governor Aiyedatiwa should welcome genuine accountability.

But accountability must be based on facts.

He does not need to silence critics.

He does not need to threaten journalists.

He does not need to manufacture praise.

His record will speak.

More than 3,000 employment opportunities.

Workers promoted.

Retirees supported.

Healthcare interventions.

Education support.

Infrastructure development.

Power-sector reforms.

Investment initiatives.

These are the issues that should form the basis of an honest assessment.

AJISAFE CANNOT SPEAK FOR ALL ONDO PEOPLE

One person writing an article does not make him the voice of Ondo State.

Ajisafe can speak for himself.

He can speak for his political allies.

He can speak for whatever interests he chooses to represent.

But he cannot appropriate the collective voice of millions of Ondo people.

Ondo people are capable of judging Governor Aiyedatiwa for themselves.

And they are equally capable of judging those who constantly attack their state government for reasons that may have little to do with the welfare of the people.

MY MESSAGE TO OLOROOGUN SOLA AJISAFE

Oloroogun Sola Ajisafe, enough of the political drama.

If you have evidence, bring it.

If you have solutions, present them.

If you have genuine concerns, let us address them.

But if the objective is to write one inflammatory article after another in the hope that someone in Abuja will notice you, Ondo people will not follow you on that journey.

Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa was elected to govern Ondo State, not to spend every morning responding to political articles.

He should remain focused.

Keep working.

Keep delivering.

Keep building.

Keep improving the lives of our people.

Let those shopping for Abuja’s attention continue their political marketing.

We will continue defending the truth.

Ondo State is bigger than any individual’s political ambition.

Ondo people are bigger than any newspaper article.

And Governor Aiyedatiwa’s record cannot be erased by political propaganda.

— DG OPOMULERO