Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has justified his decision to appoint his son into his cabinet.
Recall that the governor, had yesterday, announced Babajide Akeredolu as the Director-General, Performance and Project Implementation Monitoring Unit.
The governor also nominated 14 persons for the positions of commissioners and seven special advisers.
In reaction, the People’s Democratic Party in a statement by its spokesperson in the state, Hon Kennedy Peretei, said the move is a grand design to finally empty the treasury of the state.
The opposition party said Akeredolu and his immediate family are bent on living fat on the lean resources of the people, when poverty has taken over the land, walking in all four legs.
Peretei alleged that Babajide was involved in fraudulent activities in the past.
However, Akeredolu, through his Commissioner of Information, Donald Ojogo, said that there is nothing new in appointing a relative into government.
Ojogo noted that some past and present governors had in different times given appointments to their relatives.
“One big error is public governance is the fear of taking decisions, and it becomes unpardonably gravious when sound decisions are avoided over what I consider unresourceful criticisms,” he said.
“There is no way such sound appointment as that of Babajide would not have elicited uncanny attacks from the PDP. They were expected. Ours is to be focused on what we are doing for the good people of the State and not to be distracted by lazy opposition.
“When Jang appointed his son, Yakubu as a commissioner in Plateau, it was okay for them; what about Okowa who did it in Delta? When their Principal’s brothers in Ondo literally did all appointments while they held sway, it was okay. We can only enjoy their gallery-looking dance. They are hypocritical aside being saddened by their antecedents.
“We are more concerned about the deliverables in whatever we do as a Government. In this particular instance of Mr Governor’s decision in respect of the son, it cannot be said otherwise; he made a right decision.
“This young man has been doing a lot behind scene in the last five years plus, to enhance good governance. He has demonstrated enough capacity in many respects. Time will tell as we sail along in full steam.
“I think the problem PDP has is the fact of apparent intimidation that a very sound and balanced second term cabinet has berthed”.
