Acclaimed Nigerian activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, has criticised the Ondo State Government over the activities marking the state’s 50th anniversary, describing the celebration as empty pageantry lacking tangible achievements, Peak Newspaper reports.
In a statement posted on his official Facebook page, on Sunday, Sowore accused the administration of Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa of reducing the Ondo @50 celebration to “little more than spectacle and fluff,” arguing that the anniversary failed to reflect meaningful development or progress in the state.
According to Sowore, the government had no concrete projects to showcase during the golden jubilee, alleging that there were no refurbished schools, newly built bridges, completed roads, or commissioned hospitals to mark the milestone.
“There are no refurbished schools to showcase, no bridges built, no completed roads to commission, no hospitals to open, and no concrete security achievements to speak of,” Sowore wrote. He further referenced an alleged internal security incident, claiming that the only notable security-related event was an episode involving the Amotekun Corps, Ondo State’s regional security outfit.
The activist lamented that rather than celebrating developmental milestones, citizens were presented with what he termed “pageantry” and “physical dance performances,” which, in his view, masked deeper governance failures.
“At 50, Ondo State is not marking development or renewal, but merely dancing around its own stagnation while thuggery thrives and governance remains conspicuously absent,” he said
It would be more fitting for Ondo State citizens to aid Governor Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa in proclaiming a day of mourning over poor governance rather than observing a public holiday for the state’s 50th anniversary, he added.
Ondo State, created on February 3, 1976, joined other states across the country in marking its 50 years of existence with cultural displays, official events and public celebrations. However, Sowore’s comments have added to ongoing public debates on governance, accountability and the use of state resources amid economic and security challenges facing residents.
The criticism has since sparked mixed reactions on social media, with some users echoing Sowore’s concerns, while others defended the government’s efforts and argued that progress should not be measured solely by anniversary projects.
