Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has dismissed the speculation that his Tuesday meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari was meant to discuss Amotekun, a South-West security outfit.
Akeredolu, who made this known to State House correspondents at the end of the closed door meeting with the president at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said he was at the villa to invite President Buhari for inauguration of some projects executed by his administration.
According to him, the state has achieved a lot in the past three years under his leadership.
The governor said he was in the presidential villa to invite Buhari to inaugurate a N5 billion flyover constructed by the state government.
He said: “As you all know, I’ll be three years in office on February 24 and activities lined up in celebration of our third year in office include the inauguration of many of the projects which we have concluded.
“And that is why I have come to see the President and to personally invite him to inaugurate our iconic flyover that we have in Ore, which Ondo State built over a federal road because we have enough carnage at that spot in Ore.
“The flyover cost us over N5 billion. It is an important project to us.”
He said the project was an important one that had made the people of the state happy because previous administrations in the state failed in their attempts to execute it.
When asked whether his meeting with the president touched on the much-publicised issue of the South-West security outfit code named ‘Amotekun,’ he said they didn’t discuss the matter at all.
“That is probably why I had to brief you journalists because as I was coming here, I read in one of our papers that I was coming in here to discuss about ‘Amotekun’ with the President. I did not discuss that with him in anyway. We didn’t even mention it. He wouldn’t have asked me because I was not here for that purpose.
“Issue of ‘Amotekun,’ is something to do with security and the Vice President has come into the matter; we have held a meeting and we are having subsequent meetings on February 6.
“The Governors of states in the South-West will meet with the Inspector-General of Police to sort a few things out and smoothen edges.”
He dismissed the speculation that he was championing Amotekun to secure a second term in office next year, saying he has done enough to endear him to the people of Ondo state.
He said: “On the forthcoming election, you need to go to Ondo; I know that we have done more than enough. We are in the heart of the people of Ondo State, we don’t need ‘Amotekun’ to be in the hearts of the people.
“You need to go there, by the grace of God, not our calling but what God has enabled us to do in Ondo State is there for you to see.”
The governor renewed his earlier calls for the legalisation of the farming of marijuana, which he said has a lot of socio-economic and health values to the society.
“It is not because I take it; I take CBD, that’s the oil, for medical purposes. I am convinced about the use to which we can put marijuana.
“I know of the fact because we had to bring in experts, who have gone round and believe that the strain of marijuana that we grow in Ogbese in Ondo State is the best in the world.
“So, if you have that then a government must find a way to put it into good use.
“Our own is that the pathway to growing marijuana is for medical reasons, not for anybody to smoke,” he added.
