CONTRARY to insinuations in some quarters, the Ondo State government has no plan to demolish the country home of the late Adekunle Ajasin, a former governor of the state and the leader of the pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere.
In a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Kolawole Olabisi, in Akure, the state government described the allegations as spurious and that they were aimed at painting the government in bad light for cheap political gains.
“The truth is that in pursuant of his determination to make Ondo State a modern city and bring rapid transformation about, the State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko decided to carry out the beautification and dualisation of Owo major roads. In line with our caring heart stance, enumerations of the houses to be affected by the road project were carried out and compensations were paid to the affected owners of the houses. And the people of Owo are very happy and have been praising the government for the unprecedented development, the first in the town to be done by any government
“In the case of the building of Pa Adekunle Ajasin, the truth is that even the family of the late elder statesman, are aware of this development and it is gratifying to note that Mrs Jumoke Anifowose, the daughter of Pa Ajasin met with officials of the State Ministry of Works on behalf of the family and requested that they be given a concession of 15 meters as setback instead of the required 10 metere and it was conceded. To put the record straight, it is only the outer fence of the Ajasin house that would be affected as it needed being shifted a bit inwards and this will be re-constructed and painted at the State Government`s expenses, ditto for the Adeolu Nursery and Primary school, owned by the Wife of the late sage, Mama Obafunke Ajasin which is opposite the building. So it would be wrong for anybody to insinuate that we intend to pull down the whole building just to make us look as if we are doing any such thing wilfully.”
The statement continued : “The whole world would remember that Afenifere was founded in the ancient town of Owo and Pa Ajasin would himself be proud wherever he is now that we decided to make the town a truly modern one and what is being done in the town has been unprecedented in the annals of the ancient city.
“People should not play politics of bitterness. Our actions in Ondo State in the last two years and four months have shown that we are set to transform Ondo State from a provincial state into a modern state, one that would be a cynosure of all eyes. So we advise that politicians must be cautious in what they say. The state belongs to all of us and all hands must be on deck to lift it up rather than engaging in politics of bellyaching and muckraking all in the bid for power.“