-Debola Williams

The last week began with the pulsating effects of his political declaration, Mayo Samuel Akinfolarin, first rate legislator and public administrator who, with applause, recently turned 51. His mention of plan for Ondo’s top job had unleashed hearty cheers; but his many admirers were yet to exhaust the flavour sprouted by the proclamation before the dawn of another 5th of January, his birth anniversary.

When it dawned, birthday extended the revelry; the affair became a lengthened fiesta. Meanwhile, the frolics were not for Mayo. The moments, for him, called for sterner reflections. In his mind, the issues at stake weigh greater imports than the tenuous merriment that comes with birth date. The affairs of the state and the destiny of her people require sobriety even in a time like this. His tone, as he expressed his thoughts, reeked of solemnity.

Mayo harbours regrets that the copious human and natural endowments that Ondo has does not match her pace of growth. He sorely laments the want of visionary leadership to steer its affairs to propitious heights. His worries about the irony that Ondo state has huge potential, human and material alike but rigmaroles even as one of Nigeria’s most prosperous states with plethora prospects for economic turnaround.

Mayo, in his thesis, stressed the urgent need to begin to draw compelling attention to informal sectors that can push the state out of inertia. He identified 70 per cent of Ondo’s population as dealing in farming and the fact that nobody seems to pay serious attention to the rich sphere where the state has relative economic advantage. These gaps Mayo sees himself as capable of filling with appealing difference, hence he aspires to the governoship position.

With a lustrous leadership credential that puts him in good stead and dumbfounds detractors, Akinfolarin offers himself as that superlative figure who would bridge the widening gap between government and the people. There are striking testimonies to the effect that Mayo correctly has the right leadership skills, the requisite preparations and the experience that it takes to make a difference in such exalted position.

In distinct ways, Hon Akinfolarin stands out of the crowd. He is well groomed and rooted in the politics and governance businesses of the state. He typifies the contemporary aspirations of Ondo State and knows just how to align the vision with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. His
experience and antecedents speaks to distinction. Adept at governance and
well armed to navigate the economic and political terrains of Ondo State, meeting with needs of the underdogs is something netizens can take for granted with Mayo Akinfolarin who represents succor and hope to the people.

Mayo’s towering depth in the art of public administration distinguishes him, having repeatedly and meritoriously represented his constituents as the Deputy Speaker at Ondo State House of Assembly, the rare feat he brilliantly built upon as a two-term member of the House of Representatives who delivered matchless gains to his the people of Ile-Oluji Okeigbo/Odigbo Federal Constituency.

Through his sterling strides, the veteran lawmaker looks more like the alternative the people need to rejuvenate the system, the leader to reassuringly coordinate the process of prosperity Ondo direly needs. Mayo knows where the shoe pinches because he belongs in the grassroots. He understands the needs of Ondo State and the peculiar longings of the people across the three senatorial districts.

Even now, he has avowed a cohesive approach to governance and a united front for attaining tangible benefits for the highest number of persons. He now goes about devising the means to this end, birthday merriment can wait! He has his dossier in the public space, including his evident leadership prowess. He has a glowing reputation for being evidently reliable reliable and accessible, yet he bares the burdens of daily seeking a way out of the present state of doldrums.