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AIYEDATIWA’S DELIBERATE POLICY TO PRIORITISE INDIGENOUS CONTRACTORS: A PANACEA FOR REAL DEVELOPMENT
By Allen Sowore, Esq
There are days in the life of a people when leadership speaks in thunder—clear, bold, and impossible to ignore. Thursday, 11th December 2025, became one of those days in Ondo State.
The sun was still rising over the Akure–Ijare corridor when history quietly took its seat. Government officials, contractors, community members, and curious residents gathered, expecting the usual flag-off formalities. But what unfolded was far more—a statement of vision, courage, and destiny.
As Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa stepped forward, there was something resolute in his tone, something reminiscent of Shakespeare’s reminder that greatness must never be feared. And when he spoke, his words cut through the air with the precision of a well-crafted policy:
“Where competence is equal, indigenous contractors will be given priority.”
It was a moment that seemed to freeze the crowd. There it was—a long-awaited proclamation, simple yet powerful, modest yet revolutionary. Aiyedatiwa was not merely awarding a contract; he was rewriting the narrative of development. He was saying, in essence, our people can, our people should, and our people will.
He made it even clearer: whenever indigenous and foreign contractors present bids of comparable quality, the state will first back its own—without bending the rules, without lowering standards, without compromising excellence. Fairness, but with a deliberate tilt toward uplifting the sons and daughters of the soil.
Then he delivered another blow of inspiration—inviting indigenous contractors from every local government to step forward, bid boldly, and take ownership of projects in their own communities. Not as passive recipients, but as custodians of development.
It was as though he had drawn a line in the sand, signaling the beginning of a new era.
Even Pius Ayodele, CEO of Dortmund Company—the firm handling the Akure–Ijare project—caught the spirit of the moment. He pledged strict adherence to specifications, promising quality without excuse, working hand-in-hand with government engineers and consultants.
The scene carried an almost cinematic coherence: a governor determined to empower, a contractor ready to deliver, and a people witnessing the dawn of a transformative policy.
Because what if—just imagine—Ondo State begins to entrust its projects to competent indigenous contractors?
What if local hands build local roads?
What if local expertise shapes local progress?
What if the wealth of development stops leaking out and begins to circulate within?
The economic impact would be profound. The psychological impact—immeasurable.
For years, we have insisted that human capital development is not just a strategy but the lifeblood of true progress. Yesterday, that belief found its strongest political expression yet.
And make no mistake: this bold stance aligns perfectly with the spirit of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act and the core mission of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board. Capacity. Opportunity. National value. Local empowerment. Aiyedatiwa has taken that template and expanded it into the broader arena of state development.
What he has done is more than policy. It is a shift in philosophy. A recalibration of power. A deliberate construction of an environment where indigenous contractors can not only compete but thrive.
No wonder the whispers in the crowd grew into a palpable sentiment—that in this moment, with this governor, Ondo State may have truly encountered a rare stroke of leadership luck. A leader who sees potential not as something to be imported, but as something waiting to be ignited.
Allen Sowore, Esq.
Special Adviser to the Ondo State Governor
(Communication & Strategy)
About The Author
