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WHAT’S REALLY HAPPENING IN ONDO?
By Kikelomo Isijola
There are moments in public service that make you pause – moments that remind you that you are part of something larger than a paycheck, larger than a title. Something that has the power to shape lives in real time.
Last Wednesday, 5th November 2025, at the 69th National Council on Education meeting in Akure, Ondo State, I lived one of those moments.
As I looked around the filled international event centre, The DOME – ministers, commissioners, traditional rulers, teachers, scholars, union leaders, and civil servants all united under a single roof – I realized something powerful: this was no ordinary gathering. This was a national yearning. A yearning for an education system that doesn’t just function, but flourishes. A system that sees every learner, respects every educator, and recognizes education not as a favour, but as the foundation of our national future.
Standing firmly at the centre of that vision was Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, our “Education Governor,” reminding the nation that hope is not abstract. Hope is tangible. It is structured. It is accountable. And above all, hope is proven by results.
I have watched this Governor not just speak about education, but build it, block by block, child by child, school by school. The kind of leadership that turns words into action.
Part of his achievements are; 2,100 newly recruited teachers, strategically deployed into classrooms where young minds crave mentorship. 75,000 brand-new textbooks printed and distributed – free, because literacy must never be a luxury. Full sponsorship of WASSCE and NABTEB fees for thousands of students, ensuring no child stays home for lack of ₦34,000. Launch of digital classrooms and ICT hubs, preparing our children not just for exams, but for a global future. Free school buses and boats, so even the child in the creeks of Ilaje arrives at school with dignity and continuity among others.
That is what hope looks like, not in promises, but in performance.
Governor Aiyedatiwa, in his keynote message, reflected on Ondo State’s historic commitment to education,
“Ondo State’s long-standing legacy in education has continued from the free education era of the old Western Region to modern investments in digital learning, teacher welfare, and school infrastructure.”
He added that the state’s policy direction is anchored on quality and inclusivity, “Our goal is to make education not just accessible, but meaningful and transformative. Every child in Ondo State deserves a fair chance at learning and success.”
The Governor also commended President Bola Tinubu for reforms such as the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, which has already supported over 624,000 students, bridging the gap between children of the rich and the poor.
During the break, I saw visiting commissioners from some of the states pulling aside aides and whispering: “Take a picture of that slide.” “Copy that initiative.” “Find out how they funded the digital classrooms.” They didn’t just listen to Governor Aiyedatiwa, they felt him. They felt the architecture of his purpose.
In a country where over 10.5 million children are out of school, here is a leader building school boats so children in riverine communities don’t get left behind. In a country where teachers feel disregarded or owed, here is a governor paying salaries promptly, clearing pension backlogs, and investing in continuous training.
Yet, even in the midst of this progress, the Governor has been clear-eyed and honest: not all schools have been fixed. Some still need repairs, more teachers still need to be engaged, and infrastructure gaps remain. But Governor Aiyedatiwa has repeatedly affirmed his commitment to ensuring that every school in Ondo State will be rehabilitated, and more teachers will be recruited so that no child learns under a broken roof or from an overstretched educator.
Visit the refurbished schools in Owo, Irele, Okitipupa, Akure, or Oka. Listen to the laughter returning where silence once lived. You will hear a truth louder than any campaign jingle, “Education is not just Governor Aiyedatiwa’s policy. It is his purpose.”
As I sat in The DOME that day, taking notes not just as a media aide, but as a woman, a citizen, and a mother, something in me softened. Something in me believed again.
Because in Ondo State, education isn’t just being funded. It’s being loved. And in that love, a new story is emerging – One learner, one teacher, one classroom at a time.
We didn’t just host the National Council on Education. We hosted a vision of what Nigeria could be – if more leaders dared to put the future first.
And I am proud to be living in that vision. Prouder still to serve a governor bold enough to build it – quietly, sincerely, and with unstoppable purpose.
Hon. Kikelomo Isijola,
Special Assistant to the Governor on Digital Media
About The Author
