The Ondo State Governor, Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, has saluted the courage and sacrifices of the founding fathers of the State on the 48th anniversary of the creation of the State.
Ondo State, carved out from the old Western Region, was created on 3rd of February 1976 by the military administration of General Murtala Muhammed.
Since its creation 48 years ago, 19 people have served as governor; 12 military governors and seven civilian governors, including Governor Aiyedatiwa, who was sworn in on the 27th of December 2023 following the demise of the immediate past governor of the state, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN.
In his message on the anniversary, Governor Aiyedatiwa commended the founding fathers of the State for their foresight and invaluable contributions towards making Ondo State what it is today in terms of sustainable development and inclusive growth.
The Governor noted that without the sacrifices and selflessness of the founding fathers, Ondo State would not be where it is today even as the State has the potential to be greater.
Although the Governor noted that some of the founding fathers of the state have transitioned to the other side of the divide, he called on their surviving generations to continue to take pride in the illustrious contributions of their forebears and also charged them to continue to contribute their own quota to the overall development of the State.
While promising to continue to build on the worthy legacies of the founding fathers, Governor Aiyedatiwa assured the citizens of the State of the commitment of his administration to maximising the potential of the State for the benefit of the generality of the people.
Congratulating the people of the State on the anniversary, the Governor also called on them to continue to provide support for his administration as he continues to navigate the ship of the State towards a safe harbour.