BREAKING: Lucky Aiyedatiwa sworn in as Ondo governor

The Chief Judge of Ondo State, Justice Olusegun Odusola, at 5:14 pm on Wednesday swore in Lucky Aiyedatiwa as the substantive Governor of the State.

Present at the ceremony include the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Rt Hon Olamide Oladiji, members of the assembly, the secretary to the State Government, Princess Oladunni Odu and the state chairman of the ruling party APC, Ade Adetimehin.

Others include members of Ondo State executive council, political office holders and other party members.

He hails from Obe-Nla, an oil-bearing community in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State. This makes him a Niger Deltan.

Aiyedatiwa had his Primary education at Saint Peter’s UNA (now FAC) Primary School, Obe Nla/Obe Adun in Ilaje LGA of Ondo State between 1970 and 1976. He had his secondary education at Ikosi High School, Ketu, Lagos, in 1982.

In 1986, he obtained a Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) in Economics and Government from Lagos State College of Education (now Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education), Ijanikin, Lagos, he later attended the University of Ibadan for an Advanced Diploma in Business Administration in the year 2001.

He became an alumnus of Lagos Business School – Pan Atlantic University, Lekki, Lagos where he obtained Post Graduate Certification in Chief Executive Education (CEP) in Business Management in 2009. In 2013, he obtained a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom.

The freshly minted Governor had worked as an Inventory/Store Officer at Scoa Assembly Plant Plc. Apapa, Lagos, between 1982 and 1983. In 1987 he was Assistant Head Teacher at Reliance International Schools, Ijokodo, Ibadan. He became a Marketing Officer at Universal Pharmaceutical Supply Co. Ltd, Ikeja, Lagos in the year 1990.

In 1992, he was an Assistant Investment Analyst at Global Trust Limited, Gbagada, Lagos, he was General Merchandise Manager, Biz Mart Nigeria Limited, Lagos Island, Lagos, 1994.

He is the MD/CEO of Blue Wall Group of Companies which he established in 1996 which includes; Blue Wall Nigeria Ltd, a Trading Company, Blue Wall BDC Nigeria Ltd, a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) licensed foreign exchange trading company and Blue Wall Safety Travels and Tours, an IATA licensed Travel Agency and Logistic Company.

He joined active politics in 2011 as a card-carrying member of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) which later merged with other political parties and became All Progressive Congress (APC).

He was one of the National Delegates from Ondo State at the All Progressive Congress (APC) National Convention at Abuja in 2014. He contested for the federal House of Representatives for Ilaje/Ese-Odo Federal Constituency in the 2015 Presidential and National Assembly General Election.

He served as the federal commissioner who represented Ondo State on the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) from 2018 to 2019.

On the 25th of February 2021, they were sworn into office as governor and deputy governor of Ondo State respectively. Aiyedatiwa became acting governor of Ondo State on the 12th of December 2023, as Governor Rotimi Akeredolu went on medical leave while undergoing treatment for leukaemia.

Aiyedatiwa previously served as the acting governor of Ondo State from June to September 2023 when Akeredolu was on medical vacation.