ONDO POLITICS: BETTY AKEREDOLU AND WASP NEST SYNDROME (OPINION), By Comrade Olabode Akinwale

By Comrade Olabode Akinwale

Ondo State is a state where the sun never ceases to shine.

The politics and polity are always very interesting. The dramatis personae are diverse and quite intriguing.

From the most fascinating to the entertaining and sometimes absurd, Ondo State is a pot pouri of sort especially of those who have been in the corridors of power.

From 1999 to date, the state has had the privilege of having about five governors and first ladies.

All the governors from the late Chief Ade Adefarati (Baba Peace) to Hon Lucky Aiyedatiwa, who is in charge now have given their best to the state.

However, such cannot be said of all the first ladies.

Almost everyone in Ondo State could attest to the exceptional good characters and homely manners of the wives of Baba Peace, Segun Agagu and most especially Rahman Mimiko as pillars of support and encouragement to their husbands while in office as governors.

Olufunke Mimiko as a case study never competed with her husband. She was only seen but not heard. She acted behind the curtains like a virtuous woman and helped in great measure to improve the image of her husband. Where her husband was weak she was complimentarily strong.

She never behaved like Queen Vasti in the Holy Bible. She was beside her husband and not in front. She never dictated governance to Dr Mimiko.

Similarly, the wives of Baba Peace and Agagu never hijacked governance from their husbands. They focused mainly on their pet projects without causing undue distractions for the governors.

Unlike the wives of other former governors mentioned earlier, Betty was not contended with just being a first lady of Ondo State. She actually occupied the driver’s seat with her husband.

Even after the unfortunate demise of her husband, Betty as she is popularly called, still wanted to remain relevant in the affairs of government by sponsoring and financing the gubernatorial ambition of one of her husband’s dynasty men.

As a concerned citizen of Ondo State, I am very worried and flabbergasted at the unrelentless shenanigans of Betty concerning the government, Governor and people of the state.

A properly educated, civilized and disciplined wife would have bridled her tongue and be more courteous after the death of her husband which marks the end of their political dynasty in Ondo State, but instead, she has continued to display the personality and temperament that may have contributed partly to the sudden death of her husband!

Recently, Betty was in the news for another wrong reason again.

She erroneously claimed that Mrs Omowunmi Isaac, the Honourable Commissioner for Finance in Ondo State, was sacked as DG, Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) by Aketi.

There is nothing that can be farther from the truth than that careless comment by the unscrupulous woman.

And by that reckless and unguarded comment of hers, she has stirred the wasp nest and surely the chase and sting will follow.

According to Wikipedia, a wasp (agbón in Yoruba language) is any insect of the narrow – waisted sub order Apocrita… which is neither a bee nor an ant….

A wasp nest is papery structure made from shewed wood pulp and saliva. Wasp build their nests in sheltered areas (away from people).

A wasp sting is painful and can become life threatening.

In other words, wasp will only go after you when disturbed and that is what Betty has done by taking on the governor and the honourable commissioner.

I have reliable information to the effect that Hon Omowunmi Isaac was not sacked but redeployed from DPP to a new assignment as the SSA, Budget and Economic Planning when the dynasty formed around Aketi and led by Betty could not successfully get Mrs Isaac to do their bidding of contract inflation.

I was sufficiently informed to know the level of frustration the DG went through in the hands of Betty because of her reluctance to help “doctor” contracts.

Betty and the dynasty wanted Mrs Omowunmi Isaac to inflate contract figures and join them in the unholy business of financial recklessness and racketeering for selfish purposes.

She was also privy to Bonds falsification processes by this gang for corrupt enrichment to the disadvantage of Ondo State. The vampires would have plunged Ondo State into very deep and murky waters of debt if not for God intervention.

There are documentary evidence to most of the financial atrocities perpetrated against the state by Betty.

The level of plundering carried out by Betty at the Ondo State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (OSOPADEC) and Ondo State Agric – Business Empowerment Centre (OSAEC), will make the ordinary people on the street to want to stone her if they should find out.

At the appropriate time the evidence will be released.

As SSA, Budget and Economic Planning, the feelings of continued blackmail, pressure and arm twisting weighed in so much on Mrs Isaac and instead of resuming at the new duty post she walked away from the government.

You can fact check me.

Betty’s hypocrisy is mind boggling.

I implore those who are close to Betty and the dynasty to call the former first lady to order, otherwise some people like me who know something will blow the whistle on her and her gang of looters. And I am sure Mrs Isaac will have more damning information on her than me.

Ondo State may have to ask how Betty got the money to finance her failed senatorial ambition in Imo State in 2022.

As a matter of fact, report and records have it that the total amount of money she spent to prosecute that Dead On Arrival (DOA) political ambition of hers was more than the amount spent by Aketi for his second term gubernatorial re – election bid.

Moreover, the disdain and disrespect that Betty has for the governor and entire good people of the sunshine state that gave her husband the opportunity to lead them for about seven years as governor is monumental.

For Betty to have the audacity to refer to the Executive Governor of Ondo State as “that boy Lucky” is not only derogatory but also an assault on the sensibility of every right thinking person.

Enough is enough!

If Betty refuses to “borrow herself sense” and comport herself within the confine of reasonability and let Ondo State breath the fresh air that is on at the moment, then she will be ceaselessly pursued and stung into sensibility.

To be continued…

Comrade Olabode Akinwale writes from Akure, Ondo State