—- Says Tinubu won’t be President forever

By Dayo Johnson Akure

A former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, has advised Yoruba elders and leaders to rise above complacency and take deliberate steps towards the development and long-term security of the South-West.

Olanipekun, who was the chairman of the Ondo State at 50 Public Lecture, held in Akure, warned that that political power at the centre would not remain in the region indefinitely.

He gave the advise at the lecture entitled Ondo Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, delivered by the Chairman, Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Prof. Taiwo Oyedele.

Olanipekun, noted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a son of the South-West, would not be at the helm of national affairs forever, noting that another region would most likely assume power by 2031.

He said that leaders and elders in the region must therefore act with urgency, foresight and unity, warning that failure to do so could be costly.

According to him ” a stitch in time saves nine,” he said, urging elders to speak out rather than remain docile in the face of pressing regional and national challenges.

Olanipekun described development, progress and evolution in Yorubaland as a collective responsibility that required courage, strategic thinking and sustained engagement beyond partisan interests.

Speaking on past governors in the state, he described former Governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, as a “living legend,.

He advised the incumbent Governor, Dr Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, to tap from Mimiko’s wealth of experience, particularly as he remains the only surviving civilian governor of the state.

Olanipekun recalled that the late governor Bamidele Olumilua’s vision, courage and determination that laid the foundation for the state’s current status, recognition and wealth as one of Nigeria’s oil-producing states.

Tracing the historical process, Olanipekun explained that the achievement was the product of teamwork and strategic engagement during Olumilua’s administration.

Earlier in his keynote address, Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa described the Golden Jubilee as both a milestone and a mirror for reflection on the past, honest assessment of the present and deliberate planning for the future.

Aiyedatiwa said the public lecture, titled “Ondo State: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow,” was not merely ceremonial but intellectual and visionary, aimed at shaping a sustainable and inclusive future for generations yet unborn.

He paid tribute to the Chairman of the lecture, Chief Olanipekun, as well as the Keynote Speaker, Mrs Olu Verheijen, Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Energy, and the Distinguished Guest Lecturer, Prof. Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, describing their participation as timely and deeply relevant to Ondo State’s developmental discourse.

The governor highlighted notable progress recorded over the years, including the transition from primary production to value addition and industrial processing, citing projects such as the Sunshine Free Trade Zone, Golden Ceramics Industrial Plant, the Ethanol Plant in Ore and the Ondo Deep Sea Port.

He added that tourism was being repositioned as a growth driver through investments in the coastline, eco-tourism assets and cultural heritage, while deliberate investments in education, skills acquisition and youth empowerment remained central to his administration’s agenda.

Aiyedatiwa stressed that development was a collective responsibility, calling on citizens at home and in the diaspora to contribute through entrepreneurship, innovation, community service and civic engagement, noting that diaspora engagement was strategic for accelerated development, knowledge transfer and global competitiveness.