Ondo State at 50: Dreams, stories and sunshine, By Simbo Olorunfemi

Like other States created in 1976 by the military fiat of then Head of State, General Murtala Muhammed, Ondo State clocked 50 on 3^rd February, 2026. Perhaps in tune with the times, as it should be, the drums were only partially rolled out, with ‘modest’ celebrations across the states that one might have missed such a momentous occasion.

It was quite surreal to witness one of the events organised by the Ondo State Government in commemoration of the occasion. A public lecture that brought together some members of the power elite and the intelligentsia to reminisce on the journey, interrogate today and dream of the future, it was as much a reminder and a prompter.

It was quite a surprising reminder that it’s already 50 years since that sudden switch from Western to Ondo State, which saw our parents in public service forced to relocate ‘home’ from other parts of Western State. To think that it’s already 50 years since they were made to swap their Western State number plates for the new ones (OD, OY, OG), challenging us, young çar-spotters to be able to which local government the last letter on the plate represented, as those were the days where our fathers made it a polit of duty to remind everyone where their stories began by making a statement with their number plates. The message was simple – no matter how far from home we go, home will always be home.

Ondo is a story of many parts. A story of the people(s) of Akure, Owo, Ondo, Akoko, Ikale, and Ilaje brought together by history and geography that, over time, became shared realities and aspirations under different dispensations, even those that were not of their own making.

It is the story of a people on whose back the first skyscraper in West Africa and the tallest building in Nigeria until 1979, was built, even if the ‘Cocoa House’ sits at Dugbe in ‘faraway’ Ibadan. It is the story of a people in whose territory (Araromi) oil was first discovered in Nigeria in 1908. Even though commercial oil exploration started in the state in 1968, it wasn’t until 1992 with the promulgation of Decree 23 that the aspirations of the people of Ondo state were finally realised, as it received recognition as an oil-producing state. With 60,000 barrels per day, Ondo state is the 5^th largest producer of oil in the country.

Ondo is the story of a resource-rich state that has yet to take advantage of its immense potential, as it could. With the second largest bitumen deposit in the world, 75 kilometres of Atlantic coastline, which makes it the longest unbroken seashore in Nigeria, and a proposed deep-sea port with a natural draught of about 18 metres, which will make it efficiently handle large commercial vessels, eliminating the need for trans-shipment, there is no doubt of a bright future ahead for the state.

But beyond natural and material resources, it is the people that constitutes the most important and strategic resource for Ondo state. Having fully embraced the opportunity created by the Awolowo free primary education policy, it is no surprise that the premium placed on education has paid off in the quality of its human capital. A reflection of that, perhaps, is that despite being in the bottom-ten in terms of budget size, Ondo state ranks as the state with the lowest percentage of its population living in multidimensional poverty in the country.

The Ondo story is that of its illustrious founding fathers who, decrying what they saw as marginalisation in Gowon’s 12-state structure, spearheaded the agitation for the creation of Ondo state. The Architects were Chief GBA Akinyede, Chief Michael Adekunle Ajasin, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, Dr Banji Akintoye, Reverend RA Ogunlade, Ambassador Lawrence Fabunmi, Chief Seinde Arogbofa and Prince Deji Adegoroye, who played a pivotal role in the process, having served as Secretary (and later Secretary-General) of the Ondo State Creation Movement, when the Akinyede and Ajasin factions fused into one, with his law office in Akure serving as the Secretariat for the movement.

It is the story of Ademola Adegoroye, who, following in the footsteps of his father (Prince Deji Adegoroye), in only 10 months as Minister of State (Transportation), succeeded in securing for Ondo state the approval and “Declaration” of Ondo seaport for the government of Rotimi Akeredolu in 2023. With the aid of Minister Babatunde Fashola, he facilitated the approval and flag-off of the construction/dualisation of the Akure-Ado Ekiti road, which is currently going on.

That road is a reminder that the Ondo story is not complete without that of its cousins on the other side (Ekiti), which was excised from it in 1996, twenty years after the creation of Ondo state. Indeed, many of the founding fathers and some of those who later played prominent roles in the leadership of the state are now on the other side.

The irony is best captured by the story of two Brothers of the same mother, Prince Deji Adegoroye from Akure, one of the founding fathers, and his brother, Ambassador Bamidele Olumilua from Ikere, who was the Ondo State Governor between 1992 and 1993, who, by virtue of the creation of Ekiti State, ended up in two different states. The Ondo story is equally that of our cousins in Ekiti, with whom we once criss-crossed the Old Ondo state, before the 1996 line of demarcation came between us, asking us to choose sides, which some of us, till this moment, have refused to do. It was most appropriate that Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), now of Ekiti State, who was the Attorney General of Ondo State in the Olumilua administration, was the Chairman at the 50th Anniversary Lecture.

But the Ondo story is equally that of its civil servants, Teachers, Nurses and Administrators who willingly came back to the state from different parts of the Western Region to help build the new state. Many made huge sacrifices, some never had their records of service harmonised, some died without seeing their dreams for the state fulfilled. It is the story of the leaders, from Michael Ajasin (in whose house in Owo the inaugural meeting of the Action Group was held in 1951) to Rotimi Akeredolu (Aketi), who exemplified courage and leadership in their own ways.

The story of the Sunshine state is the story of its diaspora – the many sons and daughters of the state flying the flag of the state high in other parts of Nigeria and outside the country. It is the story of Dr Oluyinka Olutoye, the Nigerian paediatric surgeon in the US, who performed surgery on a baby in the womb. Ondo has a long list of accomplished professionals, some of whom have passed on, including Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Dr Akinola Aguda, Mr Samuel Asabia, Dr Frederick Faseun. There is the musical legend, King Sunny Ade, and many others across all facets of endeavour. We have Journalism greats like Chief Dayo Duyile and Taiwo Obe, among others.

It was only fitting that the State tapped into its rich diaspora resource in choosing Taiwo Oyedele and Olu Verheijen as Speakers at the Anniversary lecture. Indeed, the Ondo story is that of Taiwo Oyedele, born a year before the creation of Ondo state, whose Ikaram-Akoko community, leaning on the spirit of Ifowosowopo that defines the people of Ondo in awarding him a N500 scholarship 35 years ago, which enabled him to register for his final school examination, without which he would not be where he is today.

Now, not only has he made a mark through a sterling career in Accounting and Consulting, as the Chair of the Presidential Task Force of Fiscal Reforms, he has distinguished himself in public service, he is giving back through different philanthropic gestures, including a new scholarship scheme for the best final year student in every public secondary school in Ondo state graduating this year.

It is the story of Olu Arowolo, born the year the state was created, who now serves the country as Special Adviser to the President on Energy, who affirmed that the story of Ondo is not finished, but just about entering its most consequential chapter. “Our responsibility is to give opportunity, dignity, and a future, our children do not need to leave home to find,” she says.

In 1976, the same year the state was born, a young Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, having just completed his primary education in a remote village where he had lived his first 11 years, took a journey over two nights, by boat, to Lagos. He never set his sights on a car for the 11 years, except in the books. He left with no luggage, no extra clothing or shoes, armed with a dream in search of education. Today, fifty years later, he is the Governor of the State. That is the story of the state.

The future is bright for Ondo State. It is blessed in many respects, especially with a strategic geographical location. Bounded by Kwara and Kogi on the North, Edo on the East. Delta on the South-East, Osun and Ogun on the West, and by the Atlantic Ocean on the South, hardly is there any State so positioned as a gateway to other regions. When the Ondo segment of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is completed, it will open another flank for developmental activities and a more prosperous future for the state.

However, as Taiwo Oyedele cautions, “the state’s future will be defined by deliberate choices, visionary leadership, and the harnessing of its abundant human and natural resources.” Governor Aiyedatiwa agrees with that – “Fifty years is not just a number. It is a milestone that challenges us to rise to the responsibility of shaping the next era with wisdom, courage, and innovation,” he says. What is required is for the State to be more deliberate and strategic in tapping into its diaspora pool for experts to help it reimagine the future. That will require the Leaders stepping outside the familiar territory with courage, wisdom, bold thinking and innovation. It’s time for the sun over Ondo State to fully shine.

Simbo Olorunfemi is a specialist on Nigeria’s foreign policy, communications consultant, and managing editor of Africa Enterprise, Email: [email protected]