AT a debate organised by Channels TV on Sunday, November 3, 2024, the two leading Ondo State gubernatorial candidates spoke about their plans for the state if elected in the off-season November 16 governorship poll.
The debate, moderated by Seun Okinbaloye, a broadcast journalist and Politics Today’s anchor on Channels TV, include discussions on the state of economy, security, education, infrastructure, health and poverty eradication etc in the state.
The gubernatorial candidates present at the debate are Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who is the sitting Ondo governor and Agboola Ajayi of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
READ: Fact-checking three Lagos gubernatorial candidates at ‘The Platform’ debate
In this fact-check, The FactCheckHub looks at some of the claims made by Lucky Aiyedatiwa at the debate.
CLAIM 1
Aiyedatiwa said the 2024 edition of the Global Entrepreneur Festival would be held in Ondo state.
THE FINDINGS
Checks by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is TRUE.
In August 2024, multiple media houses, both local and international reported that the event slated for 22nd to 24th November, 2024, would take place in Ondo State.
ThisDay reports that Ondo State’s Commissioner for Information, Wale Akinlosotu, at a press conference in Lagos said the festival’s theme, “Beyond Boundaries: Poverty Eradication through Entrepreneurship,” strongly reflects the state’s mission.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the 2024 edition of the Global Entrepreneur Festival would be held in Ondo state is TRUE, as it was reported by multiple media platforms few months ago.
CLAIM 2
Ondo state is the second least state in terms of poverty in Nigeria.
THE FINDING
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MOSTLY TRUE!
The 2022 Multidimensional poverty index released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) shows that Ondo was the least state with poverty at 27 percent followed closely by Lagos and Abia states.
Nairametrics also reported that Ondo state recorded the lowest MPI nationally at 0.095 with only 1.3 million multi-dimensionally poor people in the state.
THE VERDICT
The claim that Ondo state is the second least state in terms of poverty in Nigeria is MOSTLY TRUE; Ondo state is actually the state with the lowest poverty index in Nigeria, according to the 2022 Multidimensional poverty index.
CLAIM 3
Cocoa processing factory in Ondo state processes 7,000 tonnes of cocoa every month.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub indicate that the claim is UNPROVEN!
An investigation by CrossRiver Watch shows that The Sunshine Chocolate Factory in Idanre, launched in 2020 by the state government as a government initiative was eventually bought by a private individual, Johnvents Industries after it went desolate some months later.
TheCable and Vanguard report that the late governor of the state, Rotimi Akeredolu, commissioned the factory in 2021.
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A 2022 report by ThisDay notes that the factory had processed about 5,000 metric tonnes of cocoa for export, barely six months after its launch.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the cocoa processing factory in Ondo state processes 7,000 tonnes of cocoa every month is UNPROVEN, as there is insufficient evidence to debunk or substantiate the claim.
CLAIM 4
In response to Agboola’s claim of being in the NDDC for several years, Aiyedatiwa stated that he too was in the NDDC for seven months.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MOSTLY TRUE!
Records show that Aiyedatiwa was a board member representing Ondo state in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) from 2018 to 2019 but the particular months were not stated.
THE VERDICT
The claim that Aiyedatiwa was in the NDDC for seven months is MOSTLY TRUE, according to the Ondo State government’s records.
EDITOR’S NOTE
*This report has been updated to reflect new verdict on Claim 4 which was changed to MOSTLY TRUE, as the primary element of the claim is accurate, though it needs additional clarification.
Seasoned fact-checker and researcher Fatimah Quadri has written numerous fact-checks, explainers, and media literacy pieces for The FactCheckHub in an effort to combat information disorder. She can be reached at sunmibola_q on X or [email protected].
