The planned memorial lecture in his honour, organised by the Ondo state government in honour of late Rotimi Akeredolu, has been rejected by the widow of the former governor, Betty Akeredolu.
The lecture, scheduled for Friday in Akure, is part of a series of activities to commemorate the first anniversary of Akeredolu’s death on December 27, 2023.
The state government had announced that renowned lawyer, Femi Falani (SAN), would deliver the lecture, with Bashorun Seinde Arogbofa serving as the chairman of the Akeredolu Leadership Lecture Series.
However, Betty Akeredolu took to her X account on Wednesday to distance herself and her family from the event.
She accused the state government of not involving the Akeredolu family in the planning and claimed they were not invited to the occasion.
In her post titled “Re: Purported Aketi lecture by Ondo Lucky can’t be serious!”, Betty expressed her discontent, saying, “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 an insidious propaganda carried too far! Lucky, you are preoccupied with rubbishing Aketi’s legacy; you can’t succeed, anyway.”
She further criticised the memorial event, calling it an attempt to exploit Akeredolu’s legacy for financial gains.
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“Anybody close to Aketi and Arabinrin becomes your enemy. Your minions are scared to get close; otherwise, they lose their appointments. Now you want to pretend by organising one yeye lecture for Aketi’s memorial as an entry point to chop money on Aketi’s head. You are on your own o! If this is not #Yahoo #419 lecture, tell me what it is!”
But in response, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Aiyedatiwa, Ebenezer Adeniyan, clarified that there was no conflict between the state government and the Akeredolu family regarding the memorial lecture.
Adeniyan stated that the family had been invited to the event and emphasised that Akeredolu, who had passed while serving as governor, was honored with a state burial attended by the state governor.
“Akeredolu was not just a family man. He was the governor of Ondo State. He died while serving the state. He was given a state burial and the state governor attended all the burial activities in Akure, Owo, and Ibadan,” Adeniyan said.
“The state government is organising this lecture to mark the first anniversary of his passing, and an invitation has been extended to the family for representation. There is no dispute between the government and the family, and we are aware that there will be other events lined up to mark that anniversary.”
Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.
