By our Reporter
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, of Ondo State has said the late former governor of the state, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu, will ultimately see his dream of State Police become a reality.
Aiyedatiwa stated this on Thursday at a colloquium in Ibadan organised to commemorate Akeredolu’s 70th posthumous birthday, with the theme, “Fundamentals and Governance of State Policing: Towards a New Architecture for National Security in Nigeria.”
The governor said Akeredolu’s advocacy for State Police and a restructured security architecture had moved beyond regional advocacy to become a major part of Nigeria’s national policy and constitutional discourse.
Describing Akeredolu, whom he fondly called “My Oga”, as a selfless public servant, Aiyedatiwa said his legacy continued to inspire Ondo State and the country.
He recalled Akeredolu’s service as Attorney-General of Ondo State, President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Governor of Ondo State, Chairman of the South-West Governors’ Forum and Chairman of the Southern Nigeria Governors’ Forum.
According to him, Akeredolu combined intellectual rigour, legal scholarship, courage and commitment to justice, while his advocacy for true federalism was rooted in practical solutions to Nigeria’s challenges.
Aiyedatiwa recalled that when insecurity became a major threat to the country, Akeredolu and other South-West governors responded by establishing the South-West Security Network, Amotekun Corps.
He said the initiative demonstrated the importance of allowing those closest to communities to play a meaningful role in protecting them.
The governor also cited the recent involvement of the Ondo State Amotekun Corps alongside the Department of State Services, the military and other security agencies in operations against suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists in the state’s forests.
He said the operation reinforced the argument for a security architecture built around local intelligence, knowledge and community participation.
Aiyedatiwa said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had demonstrated commitment to moving the idea of State Police from debate to institutional reform.
He, however, stressed that the establishment of State Police must be accompanied by credible recruitment, proper vetting, professionalism, accountability and other safeguards necessary to earn public trust.
The governor said the most fitting memorial to Akeredolu would not be monuments and ceremonies but a Nigeria that is safer, more federal, just and responsive to its citizens.
He also pledged to continue advancing Akeredolu’s legacy, noting that his administration had continued with projects initiated by the late governor, particularly road projects discussed during Executive Council meetings.
In his keynote address, Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, said Nigeria required 554,353 additional police personnel to meet the United Nations-recommended police-to-citizen ratio.
Abiodun, who chairs the Nigeria Governors’ Forum Committee on State Police, called for comprehensive reforms to make State Police effective and sustainable.
He said Akeredolu’s vision went beyond security infrastructure, as the late governor understood the relationship between security and economic development and contributed to the groundwork for the South-West Development Commission.
“A secure region is a prosperous region,” Abiodun said, adding that Amotekun had demonstrated the value of community intelligence and rapid response.
He said the campaign for State Police had grown into a national consensus, with stakeholders across the six geopolitical zones increasingly recognising the limitations of centralised policing.
Former Ekiti State Governor and former Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Kayode Fayemi, described Akeredolu as an “irreplaceable defender of the defenceless” and a courageous voice who consistently spoke truth to power.
Fayemi said Akeredolu was committed to the common good and worked towards building a prosperous, united, safe and secure Nigeria.
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, described Akeredolu as a steadfast voice for the interests, dignity and security of the South-West.
Represented by the Lagos State Secretary to the State Government, Salu Hundeyin, Sanwo-Olu said Akeredolu regarded leadership as a responsibility rather than a privilege.
He urged Nigerians to draw inspiration from the late governor’s convictions and leadership example.
Also speaking, Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, said Akeredolu’s determination in confronting insecurity contributed significantly to the establishment of the Amotekun security network.
Represented by the Secretary to the Ekiti State Government, Prof. Habibat Omolara Adubiaro, Oyebanji urged South-West governors to deepen regional integration and challenged the South-West Development Commission to undertake ambitious projects capable of transforming the region.
The Director-General of the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission, Dr Seye Oyeleye, said Nigeria could no longer rely solely on a centralised police force controlled from Abuja.
Oyeleye said Amotekun had demonstrated that state and regional policing could work, stressing the need for a decentralised security system.
Akeredolu’s first son, Oluwarotimi O. Akeredolu Jr, described his father as a courageous advocate of justice, human rights, political freedom and accountable government.
He recalled the late governor’s involvement in student activism, the June 12 struggle, the 2012 fuel-price protest and his campaigns against insecurity.
The colloquium was attended by the wife of the governor, Mrs Esther Aiyedatiwa; Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Olamide Oladiji; Secretary to the State Government, Dr Taiwo Fasoranti; State APC Chairman, Hon. Kolawole Babatunde; Chief of Staff, Prince Segun Omojuwa; serving and former members of the State Executive Council, political leaders and other dignitaries.
