Gbenro Adesina/Ado-Ekiti
As Ayodele Fayose of PDP takes over power in Ekiti, people of the state present a long list of demands
The destiny of Ekiti State and her people would be managed for the next four years, between Tuesday 16 October 2014 and Tuesday 16 October 2018 by the in-coming governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who defeated his immediate predecessor, an erudite scholar, Dr. Kayode Fayemi of All Progressives Congress, APC, in all the 16 local government areas of the state by polling 203,090 votes against Fayemi’s 120,433.
A majority of the residents in the state attested to the fact tha during his four-year reign, Dr. Fayemi did a lot in uplifting the state. It was stated that he worked tirelessly for the state and did his best within the little resources available to him to develop the human capital and the state infrastructurally. Among the lauded projects of Fayemi, who had an 8-point agenda tied to the 8-MDGs, were the construction of standard roads across the state, upgrading of the state-owned university, Ekiti State University, EKSU; provision of street lights and execution of rural electrification, resuscitation of tourism, empowerment of youths, provision of decent jobs, renovation of schools, enhancement of the capacity of teachers through training and retraining, distribution of laptops and other learning aids to students. Others include building of a befitting Government House complex on Ayoba Hill (visible from all angles of the capital city), renovating of 18 general hospitals across the state, monthly payment to the elderly as social security in the state, improvement in healthcare delivery, and construction of an event centre known as Ekiti State Pavilion, construction of Oba Adejuyigbe Hospital Complex in Ado-Ekiti, revival and renovation of Ire Burnt Brick Factory, Ire-Ekiti, and construction of a civic centre.
Affirming that the state witnessed a great turn-around during Fayemi’s tenure, the World Bank, in its third and latest business regulations analysis, stated that Ekiti State is among the 22 states in Nigeria that recorded significant improvement in their ‘Ease of Doing Business’ ratings between 2010 till date. According to the World Bank Country Director, Ms. Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly, “Twenty-two states have improved in at least one of the four areas used: starting a business; dealing with construction permits; registering property and enforcing contracts. Most states have improved their business environment since 2010. However, five states – Cross River, Niger, Ogun, Ekiti and Rivers – stood out for introducing several high-impact reforms that narrowed the gap to best practices the most.”
Because government is a continuum, the new governor, who won his first term in 2003 but was impeached in 2006, has been enjoined to continue his second term in office from where Fayemi stopped. The state’s residents also made a plea to the new governor not to destroy the legacy of his predecessor but build on it. All the strata of the state and the country expect so much from him.
Shortly after the announcement of Fayose as the governor-elect of the state, President Goodluck Jonathan urged Fayose to be magnanimous in his victory, charging him to bear in mind that it was the expression of the people, hence, he should commit himself to forming an administration that would work for the advancement of the interests of all Ekiti people irrespective of their political affiliations or loyalties. He equally urged him to regard his second chance to serve as a sacred mandate from God and his people, which he must discharge with immense dedication, wisdom and vigour to achieve a much more rapid pace of socio-economic development in the state for the benefit of all.
In an interview granted a Nigerian national daily, Mr. Femi Falana, a senior advocate, SAN, wants the governor to genuinely jettison violence in the interest of law and order in the state.
Some enlightened residents of the state would like the governor to present his working document in the form of a master plan for the development of the state. The document, they believe, would serve as a yardstick to rate his performance at the end of his tenure. They also want him to appoint a high number of selfless technocrats that will handle the technical issues of his administration.