OPEN LETTER TO THE GOVERNOR OF ONDO STATE: PRIORITISING DEVELOPMENT OVER POLITICAL APPOINTMENTS
Your Excellency,
The Ondo State Scholars Arena for Development Initiative, an apolitical organisation committed to academic excellence, human capital development and the overall progress of Ondo State, respectfully expresses its reservations over the recent appointment of over 1,000 aides by the Ondo State Government. While we acknowledge that appointments are within the constitutional and administrative prerogatives of government, we believe that the scale of these appointments raises legitimate questions about resource allocation and development priorities.
In the 21st century, particularly at a time when Nigerians are facing severe economic pressures, businesses are struggling and families are battling rising costs, scarce public resources must be deployed with utmost prudence. The interest of Ondo State must come before the interests of politicians, party leaders and political structures. Government resources should primarily address sustainable development and the pressing needs of citizens, rather than being expended in ways that could be perceived as political patronage or an attempt to attract applause from sycophants and self-professed loyalists.
Your Excellency, we are particularly concerned about the state of education. Many primary and secondary school buildings across Ondo State are dilapidated, some learning environments are barely habitable, while students in several schools lack basic furniture and essential amenities. These conditions are inconsistent with the quality of education and learning environment our children deserve. We therefore urge the government to make education a central priority and deliberately channel resources towards providing conducive environments for both teachers and students.
We understand that the appointments have already been made, and we are not calling for a reversal of what has been done. However, having observed batches one, two and three, with further appointments seemingly continuing, we appeal to Your Excellency to exercise restraint and halt further appointments of this magnitude. Appointing aides is not inherently wrong; it becomes problematic when it assumes an abnormal scale and begins to compete with more urgent developmental needs.
Lagos State provides an instructive example. Despite its enormous economic base and revenue generating capacity, successive administrations have demonstrated that effective governance does not necessarily require an excessively large political appointment structure. Ondo State must therefore avoid creating recurrent expenditure obligations that could constrain its capacity to invest in education, healthcare, infrastructure, agriculture, youth development and other sectors that directly affect citizens.
We are also mindful that the allocation accruing to Ondo State has increased significantly. This increase must be reflected in the quality of governance and tangible development across the state. We have observed that while government revenue appears to be growing at a geometric rate, development outcomes in some critical sectors appear to be advancing only arithmetically. There must be a balance between revenue growth and development, and that balance must begin to manifest now.
As an organisation with academic excellence at the core of its mandate, we owe the people of Ondo State a responsibility to speak whenever we believe the state’s developmental priorities require attention. We warehouse over 10,000 members comprising professors, lawyers, engineers, bankers, accountants, pharmacists, academics and other professionals. Our reservations are therefore not politically motivated; they represent reasoned perspectives from a broad community of educated citizens who have both local and global exposure.
Your Excellency, this letter is not an attack on your administration. It is a call to responsibility and a reminder that we consider ourselves as partner in progress. We commend the government where it performs well and respectfully call attention to areas where we believe it is lagging or can do better. We therefore urge Your Excellency to prioritise education and other pressing developmental needs, deploy state resources judiciously, stop further excessive political appointment jamboree and ensure that the people of Ondo State see meaningful value from the resources entrusted to government. We demand the best for Ondo State, and nothing less.
Signed:
Omoyoloye Oloruntimilehin Julius
General Secretary.
Odofin Oluwafemi Olusegun
Convener.
E-mail: ondostatescholarsarena@gmail.com
Ondo State Scholars Arena for Development Initiative.
Experience is Knowledge.