Former First Lady of Ondo State, Chief (Mrs.) Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, has strongly condemned the demolition of the Owo church massacre memorial by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, calling it a “desecration of sacred ground” and an “affront to decency.”
In a scathing public statement posted to her official Facebook page on Monday, the widow of the late Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, described the move as not only profoundly insensitive, but morally bankrupt.
The monument, erected in the heart of Owo to honor the victims of the horrific June 2022 massacre at St. Francis Catholic Church, was initiated under Governor Akeredolu’s administration as a solemn tribute to lives lost and a symbol of collective mourning and healing.
“To now dismiss it as having ‘no economic value,’ and to demolish it for a so-called ‘world-class shopping complex,’ reveals a disturbing level of moral decay,” Mrs. Akeredolu wrote.
“A world-class society does not erase its pain to make way for profit. It preserves memory, honors the dead, and builds with conscience.”
She praised those who had spoken out against the demolition, particularly Richard Olatunde, a former aide to the late governor, noting that history would be kind to those who defend truth and justice.
Chief (Mrs.) Akeredolu did not hold back in her critique of the justification given by the Aiyedatiwa administration, dismissing it as tone-deaf and inhumane.
“How daft can one be to assume that the value of life, memory, and honor must be measured by profit margins?” she queried, adding that “an honorary doctorate cannot mask a glaring absence of humanity and scholarship.”
The late Governor Akeredolu, a native son of Owo, was widely regarded as a courageous and principled leader who stood firmly against injustice.
His widow emphasized that the monument was part of his legacy—a physical embodiment of empathy and leadership in the face of tragedy.
“This evil act is not just a political misstep; it is an insult to the victims, a disrespect to their families, and a dishonor to a governor who governed with empathy,” she said.
In a final statement sure to stir political waters, Mrs. Akeredolu declared, “Lucky Aiyedatiwa has shown us who he is—and history, too, will remember.”
