Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has expanded his administration’s political structure with the appointment of 1,000 aides, alongside a commissioner and three Special Advisers, as part of efforts to strengthen government engagement and service delivery across the state.

The appointments, announced in a statement by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Ebenezer Adeniyan, comprise 90 Senior Special Assistants and 910 Special Assistants. The government says the appointments take effect immediately, although the names of all the aides are yet to be released.

For the commissioner position, the governor nominated Erelu Taibat Yemi Oloruntoba from Akoko North-West Local Government Area as Commissioner for Special Duties. Her nomination has been forwarded to the Ondo State House of Assembly for screening and confirmation.

The governor also appointed Abimbola Fajolu as Special Adviser on Environment, Chief Ade Adeniyi as Special Adviser on Rural and Community Development, and Muyiwa Ogunyemi as Special Adviser on Transport. The appointees are from Ileoluji-Okeigbo, Ondo West and Akoko North-East Local Government Areas respectively.

The wider appointments cover areas including women mobilisation, forestry, community engagement, students affairs, volunteer services, oil and gas, youth empowerment, public engagement, scholarships, grassroots mobilisation and photography. Three other appointees  Abdukadiri Adenoyi, Prince Nzuoma Egbulefu and Garba Goni were named Senior Special Assistants on Non-Indigenes.

The scale of the appointments places political mobilisation and community engagement at the centre of the administration’s expanded support structure. The state government says the appointments are intended to strengthen the administration and improve its reach across different sectors and communities.

However, the government has not yet published the complete list of the 1,000 appointees, saying the remaining names will be released later. With the appointments already taking effect, the next stage will be the deployment of the new aides across their assigned responsibilities, while the commissioner-designate awaits legislative screening and confirmation.