On Wednesday, Ondo residents and dignitaries paid their last respects to deceased Governor Rotimi Akeredolu. 

Mr Akeredolu died on December 27, 2023, at a German hospital after battling a protracted prostrate cancer. 

The body of Mr Akeredolu arrived in Ondo at exactly 12:30 p.m. for a brief lying-in-state programme at the Governor’s Office in Akure. 

Both civil servants and residents, including students, were present to bid the deceased governor farewell. 

Amid tears, many residents, admirers and supporters of the former governor trooped out en mass to the venue to wave at the motorcade that brought Mr Akeredolu’s corpse. 

A special court session was held briefly at the Ondo High Court, with several personalities paying tributes to the deceased.

The former governor was described as a man of courage whose contribution to life was immense. 

At the event, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa said Mr Akeredolu was a man of letters, learning, finesse and culture. 

Mr Aiyedatiwa recalled Mr Akeredolu’s role as Ondo’s attorney before becoming the governor, noting that he was open-minded as he played his role as chief law officer of the state. 

According to the Ondo governor, Mr Akeredolu served the state meritoriously with passion and equity and was also a lover of civil servants. 

“We remember with pride today his sense of urgency and intervention and unusual dedication to the cause of access to justice. His support for the Multidoor Court System, improved delivery of the Alternate Dispute Resolution system and welfare for judges and judicial officers are well documented,” stated the Ondo governor.

Mr Aiyedatiwa added, “Shall we forget his drive for necessary and expeditious law-making? For records, he it was as governor, who sponsored the executive bill for a law to establish the Ondo State Security Agency and Amotekun Corps, to assist in maintaining law and order in the state. His government also sponsored a bill for a law to provide for the establishment of Ondo State Security Trust Fund. 

The Ondo chief judge, Olawale Odunsola, described the late governor, Akeredolu, as a courageous fighter who faced serious security challenges in the state with ingenious courage and whose approach later became a national model.