- Count Us Out Of ‘Yahoo #419 Lecture’ — Akeredolu’s Wife
- We Mean Well, Don’t Create Fuss Over Event-Aiyedatiwa
By Kolawole Ojebisi
The planned memorial lecture by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State for his late predecessor in office, Rotimi Akeredolu, has triggered an exchange of words between Betty Akeredolu, the late governor’s widow and the state government.
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.
Meanwhile, Betty Akeredolu, widow of the late former governor of the state, Rotimi Akeredolu, has dissociated herself from the planned memorial lecture.
Betty took to her X account on Wednesday night to repudiate the state government’s move to purportedly honour the memory of her late husband.
The former Ondo State first lady stressed that her position is representative of the entire Akeredolu’s family.
Commenting on the event, Betty accused the state government of not involving the Akeredolu family in the planning and claimed they were not invited to the occasion.
She also insinuated that the Aiyedatiwa administration is trying to exploit his husband’s death for pecuniary gain.
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.
“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!”
The New Diplomat gathered that the Akeredolu family had earlier scheduled a memorial lecture for its deceased patriarch with the date clashing with that of the state government.
The bone of contention is that many prominent Nigerians invited by the late governor’s family are also expected at venue of the event by the state government.
But responding to Betty’s attack, they 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.
He added that there is no need to create a fuss over the lecture organised by the state government to honour the late 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.”
