A socio-political group within the ruling All Progressives Congress in Ondo State, the Patriotic Front, has called on Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu to immortalise a former governor of the state, Late Chief Adebayo Adefarati.
Late Adefarati ruled Ondo State between 1999-2003 on the platform of Alliance for Democracy.
He first served as Commissioner in the administration of Late Chief Michael Adekunle Ajasin between 1979 and 1983 under the Unity Party of Nigeria.
The group urged Governor Akeredolu to immortalise Adefarati by naming one of the Government structures after him as a mark of honour for his commitment, dedication to duty and development of human and material resources.
A statement by National Coordinator of the geoup, Mr. Olakunle Oyegoke, other former governors have been immortalised.
The statement noted that the Senate building in Adekunle Ajasin University was after Dr. Olusegun Mimiko and the state owned University of Science and Technology in Okitipupa was renamed Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology.
It said for Adefarati to have been left unrecognised appeared to be a demonstration of hatred adding they the present administration enjoyed the goodwill of late Adefarati.
According to the statement, “Baba peace as he was fondly call built on the foundations of the government under which he served to develop a template for a new Ondo State.
“He reintroduced the free education policy, free medical care for the aged within 70 years and above and for children under 5 years. He was responsible for the building and renovations of several schools and established the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, OSOPADEC, the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko and several other achievements.
“It is on record that Baba Adefarati served the people of the state meritoriously.
He died in the course of planing to rescue Nigeria from the socio- economic and political quagmire we find ourselves as a result of bad government when he was contesting for the president of the federal Republic of Nigeria under his party,Alliance for Democracy.
Since his exit, his foot print remained indelible in the state and one would have expected that such good gesture would have been appreciate by immortalising him with one of the facilities owned by the state.
“This act of not recognising him is perceived as an attempt to wipe off his records so that he will be completely forgotten or aimed at weakened his political base and make him irrelevant, even in death.
“We call on Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, the present Governor of the State who is a by- product of progressive politics and a beneficiary of both political and administrative legacies of Late Chief Adebayo Adefarati to immortalise him now.”