STATISENSE’S LOW PERFORMANCE REPORT DOES NOT REPRESENT THE FACTS IN ONDO STATE
The recent appraisal attributed to a purported AI data company, StatiSense, and published on Monday by The Guardian was, regrettably, uncritical and weak in its fundamentals. At best, the report was perfunctory. It portrayed more fantasy than fact and does not, in the least, reflect the realities in Ondo State.
In its cursory assessment, the company chose to turn the facts on their head regarding governance and public service delivery in the state, making its findings appear more like contrivances than objective realities. The performance claims, as published, also do not align with the findings of reputable institutional assessments of the state.
Ordinarily, an objective appraisal, rather than a contrived exercise, should serve as a guide for more strategic government decisions. However, when a supposedly institutional report is tainted, as in this case, it undermines public decency and erodes public confidence.
For clarity, the Debt Management Office (DMO), in its comparison of states’ debt profiles between 2023 and 2024, showed that Ondo State reduced its domestic debt from ₦74 billion in 2023 to ₦12 billion in 2024, representing a reduction of ₦61 billion, or 82.6 per cent. This positioned Ondo State as Nigeria’s most fiscally disciplined sub-national government. The achievement included the clearance of outstanding salary arrears owed to workers and former political office holders, as well as gratuities owed to pensioners. To suggest, however, that these achievements did not translate into citizens’ satisfaction is, at best, an opinion rather than an objective conclusion.
HEALTH
The Aiyedatiwa administration has prioritised healthcare by improving the remuneration of health workers to retain skilled personnel, expanding health insurance coverage to pensioners, pregnant women and other vulnerable groups, and upgrading infrastructure and equipment in hospitals and health centres across the state.
Under this administration, more than 1,000 health professionals have been recruited, while Ondo State became the first state in the South-West to implement the enhanced CONMESS and CONHESS allowances for health workers.
Earlier this year, the State Executive Council approved a ₦1 billion Hospital Intervention Fund to expand and modernise healthcare facilities across the state. This is in addition to ongoing projects involving 100-bed capacity upgrades in hospitals at Ikare-Akoko, Ore and Okitipupa, as well as 50-bed capacity improvements in hospitals at Irele and Igbokoda.
In less than two years, more than 100 health centres have been renovated. The University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital (UNIMEDTH) has been equipped with a 1.5 Tesla MRI machine, a 160-slice CT scanner, 3D digital mammography equipment, 4D ultrasound machines, digital X-ray machines and other modern facilities. The pharmaceutical-grade warehouse in Akure has also been completed to ensure a steady supply of medicines, while the Orange Health Insurance Scheme (ORANGHIS) has been expanded to cover public servants, workers in the informal sector and, for the first time, retirees and pensioners free of charge.
The latest Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey ranked Ondo State as the best-performing state in neonatal, infant and under-five mortality indicators, while also placing it among the states with the lowest maternal mortality ratio. These achievements have been made possible through the effective work of the Drug Management Agency (DMA) and the Ondo State Contributory Health Commission, both of which continue to strengthen healthcare delivery in the state. A state whose hospitals function merely as consulting centres could not have recorded such impressive outcomes.
ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE
The administration of Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa remains firmly committed to developing infrastructure that connects communities, improves livelihoods and positions Ondo State for sustainable economic growth.
More than 100 kilometres of roads have been completed within the last year, while a statewide 90-kilometre road rehabilitation programme is ongoing, with five kilometres allocated to each of the 18 Local Government Areas to ensure inclusive development.
The major dualisation projects on the Akungba–Ikare, Akure–Idanre, and Okitipupa–Igbokoda roads are progressing steadily. The inherited flyover project in Akure has been completed and commissioned, while construction of another flyover in the state capital is underway.
In the riverine communities, concrete jetties and walkways are also being constructed to improve transportation and ease of movement for residents.
EDUCATION
The administration’s education policy has focused on teacher recruitment, infrastructure development, student support, technical and vocational education, and digital learning.
More than 2,000 teachers have been recruited, comprising 1,010 teachers for public secondary schools through TESCOM and 1,100 teachers for primary schools through SUBEB, while additional recruitment is ongoing.
The administration has revived and strengthened the free school shuttle initiative, with buses and boats conveying pupils to and from school daily.
Student support programmes have also been expanded through increased and regular payment of scholarships and bursaries to students in tertiary institutions, payment of WAEC examination fees for public secondary school students to reduce the financial burden on parents, and the distribution of books, tablets and sports equipment to public primary and junior secondary schools across the 18 Local Government Areas.
Within less than two years, classrooms have been renovated and newly constructed, while furniture has been provided for more than 50 public primary and secondary schools. Similar projects are ongoing in technical colleges across the state.
The administration has also increased subventions to all tertiary institutions in the state, cleared all inherited salary arrears owed to staff of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, and committed over ₦1 billion to the construction of the Senate Building at the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, among several other projects.
WATER SUPPLY
After decades of neglect, the Owena Dam project is receiving renewed attention under the Aiyedatiwa administration to improve water supply across the state. For the first time in decades, new water pipelines are being laid across the state, in addition to the Omi Irorun Water Scheme, which has delivered more than 50 boreholes to rural communities.
POWER SUPPLY
Power remains a key pillar of the OUR EASE Agenda. This administration’s strategy combines regulation, alternative energy, consumer protection, and infrastructure development while laying the foundation for state-level electricity generation.
Although independent power generation is still being developed, initiatives such as Light-Up Akure, the Lucky Light Solar Programme, the O’Datiwa Mass Metering Programme, and the establishment of a regulatory commission are already providing relief to businesses and households by reducing costs and improving electricity reliability.
The State Executive Council recently approved a US$`1.6 million, 350-kilowatt hydropower project and a 7.5-megawatt gas-fired turbine to power government facilities across the state. The administration has also commenced the distribution of transformers to communities to improve electricity supply.
AGRICULTURE
Governor Aiyedatiwa’s agricultural strategy focuses on large-scale investment, food security, value-chain development and farmer support.
The administration is opening up large areas of farmland, attracting private investors, ensuring EU-compliant cocoa production for international markets and constructing rural roads to facilitate the movement of farm produce. Immediate interventions, including grain distribution and OSACA programmes, are helping to address food inflation and improve farmers’ welfare.
In less than two years, more than 50 kilometres of rural access roads have been completed, with additional projects ongoing across the state’s three senatorial districts.
With more than ₦10 billion committed to agricultural development, the administration continues to attract investors while over 500 young people have been trained and empowered in modern agriculture.
The Governor recently inaugurated the Ondo State Cocoa Revolution and Management Board to sustain the state’s position as Nigeria’s leading cocoa producer. The State Strategic Committee on EU Deforestation-Free Regulation Compliance has also been inaugurated, while 14,000 smallholder cocoa and oil palm farmers have been profiled under the FAO GEF-7 programme across eight Local Government Areas.
INDUSTRIALISATION
Governor Aiyedatiwa is driving the economic transformation of Ondo State. The administration continues to attract major investments towards the development of the Ondo Deep Sea Port, refinery, Free Trade Zone and fertiliser plant, while also supporting SMEs and agro-processing industries.
Its policy reforms are designed to make Ondo State an attractive investment destination where businesses can operate with confidence, thereby creating jobs and diversifying government revenue.
These efforts contributed significantly to the return of the Dangote Group to the state, with plans to establish Nigeria’s largest industrial zone in Ondo State.
Several moribund industries are being revived through Public-Private Partnership concessions. The state has also signed several Memoranda of Understanding with investors, including a US`$50 billion investment agreement involving Backbone Infrastructure Nigeria Limited and Sunshine Infrastructure JV, a 500,000 barrels-per-day refinery, a 1,471-hectare Free Trade Zone in Ilaje, and a US$4 billion petrochemical fertiliser and cement project.
EMPLOYMENT
The Aiyedatiwa administration’s job creation strategy has centred on direct public sector recruitment, skills development, and enabling private-sector employment under the OUR EASE Agenda.
It is on record that no governor has created more direct employment opportunities for the people of the state than Governor Aiyedatiwa.
Within less than two years, more than 5,000 workers have been recruited into critical sectors such as education, healthcare, and agriculture to improve service delivery and reduce unemployment.
The administration has also implemented several skills acquisition programmes, including the O’Datiwa Skill-Up a Woman Initiative, which trained and empowered 1,000 women in tailoring, catering, ICT, and other vocational skills, complete with start-up kits. Through the One Youth, One Skill Programme, hundreds of young people have also been trained in various trades, while outstanding young entrepreneurs continue to receive government support.
SECURITY
The Aiyedatiwa administration has adopted a multi-dimensional approach to security by strengthening the Amotekun Corps through increased recruitment, improved welfare, enhanced operational facilities and stronger collaboration with other security agencies, while taking proactive measures against kidnapping and terrorism.
Within two years, more than 100 operational vehicles have been distributed to security agencies to strengthen surveillance and improve response across identified flashpoints. In addition, 500 new personnel have been recruited into the Amotekun Corps, while a modern Command and Control Centre has been established.
As it has done in the health sector, the Ondo State Government continues to invest substantially in infrastructure, particularly road construction and rehabilitation. It has also recruited no fewer than 5,000 personnel into the health and education sectors within the last two years, while making significant investments in water and power supply, agriculture, industrialisation, and security.
Against this backdrop, the publication by StatiSense is clearly at variance with the verifiable outcomes of governance in Ondo State. It is an outright misrepresentation of facts and further reinforces our concerns about the report’s subjective posture.
Prince Ebenezer Adeniyan,
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Ondo State.
July 29, 2026.
