The Ondo State chapters of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools in Nigeria (ASUSN) and that of the Association of Nigerian Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPS) have endorsed the governorshio candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa. The election holds on Saturday.
The groups made their position known at an event held at the state Government House in Akure, the state capital, on Monday, where thousands of school teachers across the state had arrived at about 9 am, waiting for the arrival of the governor’s arrival from an urgent trip to Abuja.
On his arrival at the Akure Airport, Aiyedatiwa drove straight to the Government House, where he met the sea of heads of ASUSN and ANCOPS members and their executives from the state’s 18 local government areas, who had defied the early morning rush in the state capital to stage the solidarity rally.
Chairman of ANCOPS’ Adhoc Committee on Public Affairs and Social Mobilization, Comrade Tajudeen Balogun expressed the gratitude of teachers in the state to the governor for his quick response to the yearnings of the teachers since he assumed office 10 months ago.
He said: “We are gathered here this sunny Monday morning to express our profound gratitude to the Governor of Ondo State, Mr. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa for his quick and rapid interventions in ameliorating the challenges faced by teachers in Ondo State. In 10 months of his reign as governor, he has shown passion, nerve and support towards meeting the yearnings of teachers in Ondo State. I therefore stand here today with all members and executives of the various groups to rally support for your election on Saturday 16 November 2024.
“We ascribe our solidarity and goodwill to the natural doctrine which states that, ‘to whom much is given, much is expected’. We want to use this opportunity to call on all our members and their families to troop our en masse to cast their votes for Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa on Saturday”.
The group’s Public Relations Officer, Comrade Omoniyi Odeh described the event as a watershed in the history of ASUSN and ANCOPS in Ondo State. “This is perhaps the first time in the annals of our associations that we would file out in unison to rally support for a governor. It is a rare occurrence. Governor Aiyedatiwa has been outstanding as a governor in just 10 months in the saddle”, he said.
Addressing the manmonth crowd, Aiyedatiwa thanked the leadership of the associations and their members across the state for finding him worthy of their support..
He said: “I want to thank you, my friends and colleagues, for this show of support and solidarity. I am not oblivious of what the needs of teachers are. We were all trained by teachers; we have teachers as members of our families. So we cannot pretend not to know your needs. Your welfare, your comfort are key issues. Some of your needs may be vehicles to make your transportation easier. We know all of these, and we will address them as soon as we come in. I want to assure you of my support and that of my government.
“Let me thank you again for your love and support. I will make sure the APC government pays due attention to the needs of our teachers”.
