Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu, born on 21 July 1956, is a Nigerian politician and lawyer who is now the Governor of Ondo State, Nigeria and also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, who became president of the Nigerian Bar Association in 2008. Akeredolu also used to be a Managing partner at the law firm of Olujinmi & Akeredolu, which he co-founded with Chief Akin Olujinmi, a former Attorney-General and Minister for Justice in Nigeria.
Rotimi Akeredolu, who was born in Owo, started his primary education at Government School, Owo. He proceeded to Aquinas College, Akure, Loyola College, Ibadan and Comprehensive High School, Ayetoro, for his secondary school education and Higher School Certificate, respectively. He attended the Loyola College in Ibadan after which he moved to the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) to study Law. He graduated in 1977 and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1978.
Akeredolu served as Attorney-General of Ondo State from 1997–1999. In 1998, he became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN.
On 28 July 2012, Akeredolu was selected as the candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) for Governor of Ondo State during the ACN congress in Akure but he lost to Governor Olusegun Mimiko.
In 2015, he secured the ticket to represent the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the 2016 elections for governor. He was later declared winner of the keenly contested election.
Since assuming office as the sixth Governor of Ondo State on 24 February 2017, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu has been crediting President Muhammadu Buhari’s strict policy against corruption as his guide. He said his becoming governor was based on the steely disposition of President Buhari to stand against injustice, corruption and other vices.
Governor Akeredolu declared that the state’s 2018 Budget was designed to boost the economy and provide the foundation for employment generation pointing out that over N7 billion would be committed to the renovation of primary schools across the eighteen local government areas of the state.
Watchers of Ondo politics say the governor has been trying to ensure that the dilapidated roads in the state will all be repaired this year. They named some of the roads to include Sabomi, Ayeka-Irele (Swamp Section), Internal Road Network at OSUSTECH, St Joseph/Lisa Road, Idanre, and the notorious Iwaro-Oke-Oka-Epinmi-Isua roads.
