The family of the late Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, has criticised the naming of the new High Court complex in his honour.
While the family acknowledged that the project was dear to Akeredolu, they argued that naming an incomplete project after someone is both “premature and insincere.”
This was stated in a press release issued on Monday and signed on behalf of the family by Babajide Akeredolu.
“We acknowledge and commend Governor Aiyedatiwa for performing the groundbreaking ceremony for the proposed judicial complex, a project initiated by Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu. As a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and a passionate advocate for the judiciary, this project was close to his heart.
“However, the current politics surrounding the project are glaring. Naming a project after someone before its completion is both premature and insincere. True immortality lies in completing the project and ensuring its functionality. If the governor is genuinely committed to honouring Arakunrin Akeredolu’s legacy, he must demonstrate this through actions, not empty gestures,” the statement read partly.
On December 27, 2024, Aiyedatiwa noted that it was his late principal’s desire to “provide a state-of-the-art high court complex to enhance the workload and welfare of our judiciary.”
“Naming this project the Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu Judiciary Complex is a fitting way to immortalise his legacy.”
However, the late governor’s widow, Betty, rejected the planned memorial lecture in Akeredolu’s honour, as organised by the state government.
“Which legacy? Lecture, my foot! This is not for Aketi because my family and I are not aware. Damn it! As the saying goes: You and your co-travellers cannot shave Aketi’s head in his absence. You cannot weep more than the bereaved. This is insidious propaganda carried too far! Lucky, you are preoccupied with rubbishing Aketi’s legacy; you can’t succeed, anyway,” she lamented, among other remarks.
