Lucky Aiyedatiwa has officially begun his first full four-year term as the Governor of Ondo State following his inauguration on Monday at the Ondo State Sports Complex in Akure.
His swearing-in comes two months after securing victory in the governorship election under the All Progressives Congress (APC), and a little over a year after he assumed office following the passing of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu in December 2023.
Born on January 12, 1965, in Obe-Nla, an oil-producing community in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, Aiyedatiwa’s journey began with his early education at Saint Peter’s Primary School in Obe-Nla. He later completed his secondary education at Ikosi High School, Ketu, Lagos, in 1982.
His academic background includes a Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) in Economics and Government from Lagos State College of Education (now Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education) in 1986. He furthered his studies with an Advanced Diploma in Business Administration from the University of Ibadan in 2001, a Postgraduate Certificate in Chief Executive Education from Lagos Business School in 2009, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Liverpool in 2013.
Before entering politics, Aiyedatiwa built a diverse career in education, pharmaceuticals, finance, and general trade. In 1996, he founded the Blue Wall Group of Companies, which had interests in trading, foreign exchange, and travel logistics.
His political journey began in 2011 with the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), which later merged into the APC. He served as a Federal Commissioner representing Ondo State on the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) from 2018 to 2019. In 2020, he was elected as Deputy Governor alongside Governor Akeredolu. Following Akeredolu’s passing on December 27, 2023, at the age of 67 after a prolonged battle with prostate cancer, Aiyedatiwa stepped in as governor and has now secured his own full term in office.
His inauguration marks the beginning of a new phase for Ondo State as he takes on the responsibility of leading the state for the next four years.
