The former Chief Press Secretary to the late Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, Mr. Richard Olatunde, has criticised Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa over his claim that the port declaration secured under Akeredolu’s administration was faulty.
Olatunde, in a statement issued in Akure, said Aiyedatiwa’s remark during a recent media chat was a misrepresentation of facts and an attempt to undermine the efforts of the late governor in securing the deep seaport project for the state.
He maintained that the Akeredolu administration followed due process in obtaining the declaration, explaining that a consulting firm led by Ekong Etim conducted a feasibility study and prepared an Outline Business Case for the proposed multipurpose deep seaport.
According to him, the report was presented to Akeredolu on August 15, 2020, after which it was submitted to the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission for a Certificate of Compliance before being forwarded to the Federal Ministry of Transportation.
Olatunde explained that the port declaration was eventually granted in May 2023 after the ministry presented a memo to the Federal Executive Council through the then Minister of Transportation, Muazu Sambo, following efforts by former Minister of State for Transportation, Ademola Adegoroye.
He said the governor’s claim that the declaration was faulty only referred to a clerical error in which the name of a company was mistakenly inserted as a partner in the document, adding that the issue was later corrected by the Federal Executive Council and did not invalidate the licence.
The former aide also noted that international firms such as China Harbor and Dubai Port had shown interest in the project, stressing that Akeredolu laid a solid foundation for the deep seaport initiative.
Olatunde further rejected claims that no previous administration worked on bitumen exploration in the state, insisting that Akeredolu’s government secured a licence for the project with the approval of the Federal Government as part of efforts to diversify the economy. He urged residents of the state to seek accurate information and not be misled by what he described as distorted narratives about the late governor’s achievements.
