Featured, Politics
Ekiti State indigenes and residents set agenda for the new government of Kayode Fayemi as he begins his second term as the state governor
By Emeka Ejere
The swearing-in on Tuesday, October 16 of Kayode Fayemi, as the sixth elected governor of Ekiti State, has among other things opened doors of new expectations in the minds of Ekiti people. Fayemi, who is serving his second term, won the July 14 governorship election under the All Progressives Congress, APC, defeating Kolapo Olusola, the then deputy governor of the state and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and over 30 others in a keenly contested election.
The new governor was victorious in 11 out of the 16 local government areas of the state, polling 197,459 votes, and edging out his closest rival Olusola who got 178,121 votes by 19,338 votes.
Prior to his swearing-in, Fayemi and his teeming supporters had maintained that his inauguration would mark the beginning of the new order in reclaiming Ekiti land and restoring her values, as well as its transformation.
In what looked like the beginning of matching words with actions, the governor at a ‘Thank You’ visit to Ekiti North Senatorial District few days after his inauguration, abolished payment of education taxes in primary and secondary schools in the state and promised to introduce free meal into public schools by December.
The educational tax was introduced by the immediate past administration of former Governor Ayodele Fayose in 2015, where primary and secondary pupils in public and private schools paid N500 and N1, 000, respectively. Not even a suit filed by the Catholic Diocese of Ado-Ekiti, could secure the reversal of the controversial policy.
Fayemi got a pass mark in his first term from many, especially in the area of social security for the elderly people, a scheme said to be insulated from partisan politics. He was also applauded for the improvement in infrastructure, health services as well as in tourism.
His loss to Fayose in 2014, for many, was mainly as a result of alleged elitist style of governance and a huge crack in his relationship with teachers over salary issues.
Many are of the opinion that the new governor has a rare privilege of correcting the lapses and mistakes of his first term in office.
Incidentally, Fayemi has not minced words in acknowledging that the task to curb the alleged drift to squalor and abject poverty to which Ekiti State has been subjected must be embraced by every man of vision, integrity and good will. In other words, the governor wants the input of the citizens so as to confront the challenges facing the state.
To the elite, Fayemi has also extended hands of fellowship tasking them “to move away from their comfort zones to rescue Ekiti people, who have been conditioned to live with poverty as a way of life.”
As a way of setting agenda for the new government, residents of the state are of the view that in addition to improving the infrastructure of the state so as to attract investors, Fayemi government should also pay closer attention to the educational sector.
Another critical sector, they say is health. To them, health is wealth, and this is why the new administration should pay more attention to the sector.
Many feel that as an agrarian state, the new government should take the sector serious by encouraging the teeming youth population to embrace farming and other agricultural practices.
To such people, agriculture does not only provide job for the unemployed people, it can also increase the internally generated revenue, IGR of the state, if well harnessed.
Some are also of the opinion that the state is blessed with mineral resources such as clay, kaolin, kolumbite, cassiterite, foundry sand, bauxite, clarcomite and charcoalnite granite.
They believe that given his background as the immediate past minister of Mines and Steel Development, the new governor should use his contacts to tap into the resources to the advantage of the state.
The people also want the Fayemi administration to focus on tourism. They feel that tourism is another sector that will generate revenue for the state. Notable among its tourist attractions in the state are the Ikogosi Tourist Centre, which is referred to as the haven of tourism in Nigeria.
Fayemi had, during his first term, put in place facilities such as a modest non-chemical pools, standard conference hall, opulent chalets, and a restaurant to cater for the various needs of tourists. But the residents feel that a lot more need to be done to upgrade the centre to a world class.
Other tourist centres in the state that need government attention include: Arinta Waterfall at Ipole-Iloro, Ero Dam at Iyin-Ekiti and Fajuyi Memorial Park at Ado-Ekiti.
Bisi Omotoso, a pensioner and resident of Ado Ekiti, said he would expect Fayemi to learn from the pitfalls of his first term by avoiding Ekiti from Diaspora, when deciding members of his cabinet. He said many of the diaspora people are not familiar with the problems bedevilling the state and its peculiarity.
“This time around, home-based politicians should be included in his cabinet than technocrats.
“The home- based politicians understand Ekiti people better. He must make prompt payment of workers salary and pension top priority. He should see to the backlog of unpaid gratuity to the dying pensioners.
“Fayemi should pay more attention to our educational institutions, especially in the secondary schools. We expect a thorough overhaul of teaching personnel. Some teachers have overstayed in their schools,” Omotoso said.
Dayo Famisa, a civil servant, said Fayemi administration should encourage people to go into agriculture. He said that as parts of incentives to encourage people to go into farming, loans should be given to farmers.
He urged the new government to make payment of workers salary as at when due a top priority. Famisa also said training and retraining of the workforce is very essential so that they could perform optimally.
For Alabi Taofeek, a staff of the Federal Polytechnic Ado Ekiti and tourist expert, Ekiti State is endowed with abundant mineral deposits of value such as clay, kaolin, columbite, cassiterite, foundry sand, bauxite, clarcomite and gharcoalnite granite.
“Tourism is another sector that can become a veritable source of income for the state.
Taiwo Ajibade, a politician, urged the new government to make development of tourism potential a priority, saying the sector can take the state’s economy to higher pedestal. Ajibola, particularly regretted the poor attention the past administration paid to the sector, adding that tourist attractions in Ekiti West Local Government alone could pay the salary of workers, if properly harnessed and stop overdependence on the federal allocation for sustenance.
He said the cultural endowment of the people could also be combined with tourism potential to take the state to the global scene and make cultural heritage, the hub of Arts and Culture in Africa, particularly the ones that had to do with traditions and culture in Aramoko town.
He lamented that the country is losing multi-billion dollar yearly due to the lip service being paid to the development of arts and culture as well as hospitality businesses. “Many countries like Gambia, Tanzania and Kenya are making big money from tourism. In Ekiti alone, activities of tourism along Ikogosi, Ipole Iloro and across Ekiti West alone can pay salaries of workers in Ekiti.
“Let us just assume a situation whereby the federal government sites a globally accepted film village around this place. It will bring many film makers to Ekiti and our economy will go up,” Ajibola said.
Raphael Adeyanju, a community leader in Oke Imesi Ekiti, said the new governor is not new to Ekiti because he was there before. He also noted that in his first term in office, he did well in the area of infrastructure. Adeyanju said the major reason the governor could not win in 2014 was because of his perceived alienation from the grassroots people.
“Fayemi should do everything possible to bridge the gap. He should also endear himself to the civil servants by paying the backlog of salaries.
“Youths unemployment is a threat that he must tackle headlong by creating jobs in the formal and informal sectors.
“The state has arable land that could be cultivated. Thank God that the governor can benefit from the regional integration from Lagos to develop its agriculture.
“During his first term, he developed interest in tourism, he should try and revive the sector.
“Being an agrarian state, Ekiti is ripe for cottage industries, using agricultural products. I expect the incoming government to improve on the internally generated revenue as a step towards self-reliance.” Adeyanju said.
Ayo Ogunleye, a retiree in the state civil service, said: “Fayemi must have learnt from his first term. He should be able to use his wealth of experience to better the lots of Ekiti people.
“He should re-enact such laudable programme like social security scheme, improvement in infrastructure and focus on the educational sector which is considered as the bedrock of other development.
“He should pay more attention to the tourism and health sector. People of Ekiti in Diaspora and foreign investors will like to invest in the state if the infrastructural facilities are developed.
“As former Minister, he should use his position to tap into various minerals hidden in the state for the benefit of the state.”
Ogunleye, however, advised Fayemi not to be a sole administrator, urging him to run an all inclusive government by making use of the human capital that is abound in the state.
Interestingly, the governor has promised to pay the backlog of salaries owed by the Fayose’s government. However, it remains unclear how soon that will be done.
Tags:
