Absence of Ondo State First Lady Oluwaseun Aiyedatiwa causes stir on social media

The prolonged absence of the Wife of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State, Oluwaseun, since he was sworn-in is causing stir on Social Media platform, X (formerly Twitter).

Aiyedatiwa was sworn in as Governor of Ondo State on December 27, 2023 following the death of his principal and former Governor of the state, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, in Germany on December 26 after a protracted illness.

Two months after, Mrs Aiyedatiwa has not been seen in any public function in the state performing the roles of First Lady like her predecessors.

The frontrank reports that on February 1, 2024 when Dr Olayide Adelami was sworn in as the deputy governor, he was accompanied by his wife and children to the Governor’s office, Alagbaka, Akure for the ceremony.

However, on Monday, February 26, the prolonged absence of Ondo State First Lady caused a buzz on X(formerly Twitter) with tweeps raising questions.

Raising the absence of Mrs Aiyedatiwa from the state, an X user, Olusa on his handle @olusatweets tweeted, “Like Ondo State’s First Lady, Staff of Ondo State owned universities have absconded for being taken for granted.”

The post which had over 10,000 views and likes, set tongues wagging on the platform.

Commenting on the post, a user, Mr. Oni of Lagos with handle @MrOni214981 said “The gov has a whole lot of questions to answer.” While Wande TM@WandeWatt noted “Well, since baba don dey use beret scared everyone”.

Another user in his tweet, Abayomi Goodluck @AbayomiGoo1718 said “Go and find work to do”.

While Toby@officialmtv tweeted “Wahala no too much?”, another user, AbiolaJP@AOFEMIYESIN wrote “Interim ni Bora, he do not care. This too shall pass.”

“So unfortunate that we’re having a governor without a supporter from home front,” @ JohnpaulID wrote.

While Femi The Realtor @Femi4me tweeted “I think we should make a toast to the dramas we are about to witness in coming days/weeks/months in Ondo State”.

However, in June 2023, a group, Society for Women Empowerment (SWE) accused Aiyedatiwa, who was then the deputy governor, of assaulting his wife, Oluwaseun.

According to Vanguard newspaper online, the National Coordinator of the group, Mrs Damilola Charles, raised the allegation in a statement made available to newsmen in Akure.

Charles said “wife beating is a civil rights problem of enormous magnitude, the campaign on violence against women must be applicable to elected officers in the country.

“We have taken our time to investigate and confirm the allegations of domestic violence between the deputy governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, and his wife, Oluwaseun Aiyedatiwa.

“Rumour mills are abuzz about the condemnable act of the deputy governor.

“We are calling on the First Lady, Chief Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, and the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development in the State to look deeper into the situation and represent the interest of the Nigerian women.”

Reacting to the allegation, the then Press Secretary to Aiyedatiwa, Kenneth Odusola, said “There is no reaction. Family matters should be left for family matters.

“That is not for your own consumption so I don’t know about it. I don’t look at family matters, so I don’t know about any domestic violence.

” Whoever may have talked to you or given you information should go and get his facts and not from me because I am not employed by a family and I don’t get involved,” Odusola told Vanguard newspaper.

However, Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu in a tribute to her late husband and former Governor of the state, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, said wife beaters should be in jail even if you are a Governor.

“In their homes while growing up they saw their mothers trampled upon as doormats. By the way, do they know what love is?

“They copied the template and treated their wives as pieces of furniture that could be easily discarded as trash in many instances, the subjugation was garnished with beatings while the community looked the other way and remained unperturbed by gender-based violence/reigned supreme nationwide.

“In civilized climes, if you beat your wife, jail awaits you even if you are a Governor. They marvel that a Nigerian man can love his wife,” Mrs Anyanwu-Akeredolu stated.

Mrs Aiyedatiwa was always seen accompanying Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu in the early days of the second term of late Rotimi Akeredolu’s administration.

From 1999 to 2003, Mrs Adetutu Adefarati, who was the First Lady of the state, was the rallying point for womenfolk, while Mrs Olufunke Agagu, First Lady from 2003 to 2009, used Handicapped Education Foundation (HANDEF), a pet programme, to empower persons with various disabilities in the state.

From 2009 to 2017, Mrs Olukemi Mimiko, the State’s First Lady, used her pet projects to focus on breast, cervical cancer and women health care as well as galvanising women in the state to have a sense of belonging.

Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, the immediate past First Lady, used BEMORE and FOWOSO pet projects to empower girl-child and womenfolk respectively.

Efforts to get reaction of the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ebenezer Adeniyan were unsuccessful.