The issue of those Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu will appoint as Commissioners has been causing much anxiety in the polity even as the governor was yet to name those who would make up his cabinet as commissioners, TEMITOPE YAKUBU-OLUMOKE writes
Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State is currently facing the hard task of choosing his commissioners, SUNSHINE HERALD has learnt.
It was gathered that immediately the All Progressives Congress, APC, won the November 26, 2016 governorship election in the State, intensive internal campaigning started over the formation of the cabinet of the new government.
According to findings, some candidates have been marked down for definite offices by the Governor, the selection of those to fill the sought-after "juicy" positions may not be an easy task, as powerful party members and others who gave Akeredolu support from the national secretariat of the party are pushing their own nominees.
However, the Governor through his Chief Press Secretary, Segun Ajiboye in an interview with SUNSHINE HERALD has indicated that he was not in a hurry to appoint commissioners.
According to Ajiboye, Governor Akeredolu was being careful not to make mistakes in appointing individuals especially to key positions.
As citizens of the State await the list of commissioners, which according to a government source is expected to be released before the end of June, many of people who are being considered for slots comprising of technocrats and politicians include Mr. Wale Akinterinwa who may be offered the Ministry of Finance and Mr. Yemi Olowolabi who is expected to manage the image of the State as Commissioner for Information.
Also being considered for slots in the Akeredolu's cabinet are Mr. Dele Ologun; a former Commissioner for Natural Resources in the former Governor Olusegun Mimiko's tenure, Mr. Solagbade Amodeni; son of former Governor Adebayo Adefarati, Mr. Gboyega Adefarati; a former Education commissioner in the state, Mrs. Oladunni Odu; Mr. Tunji Light Ariyomo and Deputy Chairman of the APC in the State, Mr. Ade Adetimehin.
While Ologun is being considered for the Youth and Sport portfolio, SUNSHINE HERALD gathered that the governor was considering picking Amodeni who he is said to admire for his doggedness to head the Natural Resources Ministry which held during the first term of the past administration.
Speaking with SUNSHINE HERALD, an Akure based Journalist, Mr. Yomi Ayeleso advised the Governor not to harbour people with shady and dishonourable past or those with proven cases of dishonesty and duplicity into his government.
Speaking further, Ayeleso said: "the governor's commissioners should be those he could absolutely trust, in whom he could also confide confidently without any fear of betrayal or treachery."
As people of the state expect Governor Akeredolu's cabinet to be a mixture of old and new breed with an appreciable gender balance as promised before the election, it should accommodate a variety of interest groups including those with innovative ideas for "thinking and acting anew."
As the expectations and excitements of new cabinet rent the air because the people believe that a new set of commissioners will certainly assist in solving the myriads of problems that make governance extremely cumbersome, everyone is eager to see the new government led by the APC mobilise into action and begin to fulfil its electoral promises which attracted the masses toward its leader.
What is more important about who would eventually make the list is not the stuff with which he is made, or how good he is, but his overall plan to add value to the governance by bringing the dividends of democracy to many doorsteps.
When finally the commissioners' list is ensembled, it should not be business as usual, but concerted deliberations and actions to foster the much awaited "think anew, act anew" by the Arakunrin Revolution.
