*~ By Otunba Wale Akinlosotu, FCIPA*
Leadership is ultimately measured not only by the roads constructed, buildings commissioned or policies announced, but by the extent to which government improves the lives, dignity and sense of belonging of its people.
This is the defining character of the administration of *Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa:* an emphasis on human-centred governance, where the welfare of workers, retirees, young people, entrepreneurs, women, families and vulnerable citizens remains central to public policy.
The administration’s interventions across different sectors provide compelling illustrations of this approach.
*RESTORING DIGNITY TO OUR PENSIONERS*
For many retirees, gratuity is not merely an entitlement on paper. It represents years of sacrifice and service to the state and, often, the financial security of their families in retirement.
The Aiyedatiwa administration has continued to make significant payments towards clearing inherited gratuity obligations. The recent payment of N3.897 billion in gratuities to 1,038 local government workers and primary school teachers who retired in 2016 represents another important step in restoring the dignity of pensioners.
These are not simply budgetary figures. Behind every payment are elderly citizens who devoted their productive years to public service and families whose economic circumstances can be significantly improved by receiving what they are legitimately owed.
The Governor’s commitment to addressing these obligations captures the essence of human-centred leadership: government must remember the people who built the system even after they have left active service.
*CREATING EMPLOYMENT AND OPENING DOORS OF OPPORTUNITY*
Human-centred leadership must also create opportunities for citizens to become economically productive.
The administration has created employment opportunities across various sectors, including recruitment into the education, agriculture, health sectors and other government institutions. The Governor is also in the process of recruiting 1,000 young people into the State Forest Guard, combining employment creation with the strengthening of community security.
For young people, employment is more than a monthly salary. It represents dignity, purpose, stability and the confidence that they have a meaningful stake in the future of their state.
*EMPOWERING ENTREPRENEURS: FROM SKILLS TO SUSTAINABLE BUSINESSES*
*Perhaps one of the most important dimensions of human-centred governance is the deliberate effort to move citizens from dependency to productive self-reliance.*
Through the Ondo State Entrepreneurship Agency (ONDEA), the administration has continued to support the entrepreneurial ecosystem through training, business development, empowerment, mentorship, business registration, access to funding and market opportunities.
ONDEA’s programmes span all 18 local government areas, with current initiatives covering funding, digitisation, skills acquisition, entrepreneurship education and human-capital development. Its programmes include the Entrepreneurship Development Training (EDT) Masterclass, ONDEA My Idea, free business-name registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission and initiatives designed to support businesses with equipment and other forms of assistance.
The ONDEA My Idea initiative is particularly significant because it identifies innovative and scalable business ideas and provides selected entrepreneurs with business empowerment packages that combine financial support, business development and incubation.
The agency has also supported entrepreneurs through equipment disbursement, business advisory services, digital optimisation, mentorship and platforms connecting Ondo entrepreneurs with members of the diaspora.
These interventions reflect a fundamental principle: empowerment should not simply put money in people’s hands; it should put knowledge, skills, tools, networks and opportunities in their hands.
When an entrepreneur is trained, registered, equipped and connected to markets, the benefit extends beyond the individual. It can create jobs, support families and stimulate economic activity within the community.
That is human-centred economic development.
*NO ONDO CITIZEN SHOULD BE ABANDONED*
*Perhaps one of the clearest illustrations of human-centred governance has been the response to the plight of Ondo indigenes returning from South Africa.*
When our citizens were forced to return home after difficult experiences abroad, the response of government was not simply to receive them physically, but to think about their welfare, dignity, reintegration and economic future.
Many of the returnees benefited from the Governor’s empowerment intervention, while the government also committed to supporting their reintegration through skills development, counselling, entrepreneurship opportunities and further interventions based on their documented profiles.
*This is important because diaspora policy should not end with attracting investment from citizens abroad. It must also mean that when an Ondo indigene is in distress anywhere in the world, home remains home.*
The intervention demonstrated that the government recognises the responsibilities that come with having citizens spread across the globe. It also showed that compassion and economic empowerment can work together: citizens returning home should not merely be welcomed; they should be given the opportunity to rebuild.
*INCLUSIVE APPOINTMENTS AND GRASSROOTS PARTICIPATION*
Another dimension of the administration’s people-oriented approach is the expansion of opportunities for citizens to participate in governance.
The administration’s appointment of more than 1,000 political appointees has created opportunities touching more than 1,000 households across the state. The appointments cut across Commissioners, Special Advisers, Senior Special Assistants and Special Assistants, with representation from the state’s 18 local government areas and 203 wards.
Beyond the political debate that naturally accompanies appointments, there is a significant human dimension.
Every appointment represents an opportunity for service, livelihood and participation. Every appointee also carries a responsibility to bring government closer to the people.
This network of grassroots representatives will strengthen communication between government and communities, identify local needs faster and ensure that government programmes reach more citizens.
*GOVERNANCE WITH A HUMAN FACE*
There is often a tendency to measure government only through projects and statistics. Numbers are important, but behind every number is a human being.
Behind the more than 1,038 retirees receiving gratuity are senior citizens and their families.
Behind employment opportunities are young people seeking a future.
Behind ONDEA’s training and empowerment programmes are entrepreneurs acquiring the skills, tools and confidence to build sustainable businesses.
Behind the Ondo indigenes returning from South Africa are citizens who need reassurance that their homeland has not forgotten them.
And behind the more than 1,000 political appointments are households whose livelihoods are touched, as well as appointees entrusted with the responsibility of serving their communities.
This is why human-centred leadership is more than a slogan. It is an approach to governance in which the ultimate consideration is the effect of government decisions on the ordinary citizen.
*THE SUNSHINE STATE, MOVING PEOPLE FORWARD*
The emerging story of the Aiyedatiwa administration is one of a government seeking to connect policy with people and opportunity with empowerment.
From clearing gratuity obligations to creating employment opportunities; from training and empowering entrepreneurs to supporting citizens returning from South Africa; from expanding opportunities for public service to strengthening grassroots engagement, the administration is demonstrating that development is ultimately about people.
The gains already recorded provide a strong foundation for even greater progress. The direction is clear: *a government that seeks to create opportunities, strengthen livelihoods, restore dignity and ensure that citizens – whether at home or in the diaspora – remain connected to the development of their state.*
Ultimately, governance should make people feel seen, valued and included.
And in Ondo State, the message is increasingly clear:
*Governor Aiyedatiwa is working.*
*Ondo is truly Lucky.*
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