Mr. Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu (SAN) mounted the saddle as Ondo
State sixth executive governor yesterday with a charge to the people to
dust themselves up for the task of rebuilding the state.
“We can rise out of this dust and build a
new Ondo State where honesty, prosperity and confidence can once again
be our self-identity,” Akeredolu said, moment after he took the oath of
office in succession to Dr. Olusegun Mimiko.
“We can pull ourselves by the bootstraps and shake off our current frustrations and disappointments,” Akeredolu said.
“We must recognise the need for a
cohesive platform, indispensable to an effective and efficient
implementation of policies and programmes of both government and party,
respectively.
“Divergence of opinions is integral to
party politics. We are bound to disagree as politicians but we must cast
aside bitter recriminations and destructive predilections.
He said he came with “ a message of
hope, a clear agenda of prosperity and a vision of life abundant,”
pointing out that “the greatest expression of faith in our ability is
to be strong enough to look upon our imperfections and decide that it is
in our power to remake our society to align with our highest ideals.”
“We listened to the voices of our people
in the course of our campaigns to all the nooks and crannies of the
state. We heard them loud and clear through their votes. We witnessed,
first hand, the deplorable conditions under which they exist.
To those
who cast their ballots in favour of our programmes, your trust is not
misplaced. We are determined to make the difference with the specific
mandate of redemption liberally handed over to us. Those who expressed
other preferences are no less patriotic.
Watching with rapt attention from the
stands were thousands of people from all walks of life including
politicians, clerics, traditional rulers and the masses.
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