A fresh controversy has erupted in Ondo State following allegations that Deputy Governor Dr. Olayide Adelami and his aides incurred N130 million in hotel bills over the past year.
Reports indicate that Dr. Adelami has been staying in multiple high-end hotels in Akure since his swearing-in in February 2024. His official residence at the Government House has been undergoing renovation, as it was previously used as a campaign situation room for the APC during the 2023 elections.
Critics, including the Ondo State PDP’s Director of Student Mobilization, Ijanusi Olawale, have condemned the expenditure, arguing that the state government should have housed Adelami in the newly renovated VIP lodge rather than spending taxpayers’ money on hotel accommodations.
“Despite spending a huge amount of money renovating the VIP lodge, all the lodge occupants had been flushed out,” Olawale said. “The Deputy Governor should be temporarily allocated the VIP lodge within the government house pending the period the Deputy Governor’s lodge will be completed.”
He further urged authorities to redirect such funds toward critical sectors like education and healthcare.
However, a top government official defended the expenses, confirming that the state still has outstanding bills for the deputy governor’s lodging. The official maintained that accommodations were necessary while the government house quarters were being refurbished.
“Accommodations were provided for the deputy governor and his aides in these hotels, and they have been using various hotels for one year now,” the official stated. “The money released for the quarter by the Ministry of Finance was not enough to offset the outstanding bills incurred on the hotel accommodation.”
Reacting to the allegations, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Digital Media, Rahman Adekunle Yusuf, denied claims of wasteful spending.
“It is noteworthy that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has ordered the renovation of the Deputy Governor’s official residence, which will be completed soon,” Yusuf said. “It is on record that no deputy governor has occupied the said lodge since the first tenure of late Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, including Agboola Ajayi.”
Providing further clarification, Yusuf added:
“For the records, Dr. Olayide Adelami, an accomplished Nigerian who retired as Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly, was sworn in as the Deputy Governor of Ondo State on the 1st of February, 2024, and was operating from his house in Owo. He was later provided a room at a hotel by the protocol unit of the Deputy Governor’s office due to the pressure of the work, which most times didn’t allow him to return to Owo, as his supposed official residence was under renovation.”
“The hotel accommodation provided for Dr. Adelami is a room and parlour for him alone, and none of his aides has ever stayed in the hotel with him, as we all have our accommodations in different places within the Akure metropolis.”
He further emphasized that the deputy governor personally funds his team’s accommodations when he returns to Owo:
“For several days in each month, the Deputy Governor comes to his office in Akure from Owo where he houses and feeds everyone on his entourage from his purse, as he had always done for anyone close to him, even before he became deputy governor.”
Meanwhile, a top government official speaking anonymously dismissed the controversy, insisting that the hotel expenses were far lower than reported and justified under the circumstances.
“Where do they want the Deputy Governor to be sleeping when his official quarters are still under renovation?” the official asked. “No doubt, the official quarters of the Deputy Governor would soon be ready, and there would not be any more complaints.”
Government sources assure that once the renovation is completed, the deputy governor will move into his official residence, putting an end to the controversy.
