In making our policies, we constantly asked ourselves what sort of society we want to construct for ourselves and our children. We confronted the stark choice between a society in which only a few can survive and more and more people wind up worse off than their parents; and one in which everyone has a fair chance of success and a better life is our collective inheritance. Long after the trumpets of transition have fallen silent and carnival-like campaigns for power have dispersed, we will still have to face a choice between a society that tells you that you are on your own and one in which my prosperity is your prosperity because we share the burden of development and the joy of achievement together. I believe that this conflict goes beyond Ekiti State and is the significant political struggle of our generation. Indeed it is a battle for the soul of our nation.

From the outset, the welfarist orientation of our administration was informed by the principles of service, synergy, solidarity and communality. We pioneered a Social Security Programme for the elderly. No less than 25,000 senior citizens now benefit from this programme. This plan represented an appreciation of the years of service our senior citizens dedicated to this land as well as reflected our commitment to assuring that the aged may live their golden days in dignity and grace.

Few experiences in my public career have been as rewarding as encountering the appreciative beneficiaries of this programme. It is humbling that one can make a positive difference in human lives. There is no greater reward for a policy maker. It is noteworthy that since the commencement of this initiative, at least 4 other states in the federation have adopted the model. This development affirms that we have done something right such that we have contributed in our little way to the betterment of Nigerian lives even beyond the boundaries of Ekiti State. Our own party’s manifesto now highlights this as part of our Social Safety Net initiatives.

Our compassion for the elderly was joined by our commitment to providing a living wage and equitable working conditions for our workers and decent retirement conditions for our pensioners. Crucially, we met these obligations to our people not by adding new taxes but by enhancing the efficiency in the tax collection and management system.

Making Poverty History

In Ekiti State, as in the rest of the country, an important component in our socio-economic engine is the informal sector. This is where many entrepreneurial men and women work to make an honest living and by providing needed goods and services for the community. Notwithstanding the lack of formal business support mechanisms, many of these people flourish and all of them enrich our society in their important way. From the women who send their children to school and manage their homes from the proceeds of petty trade to the artisans who are building, creating, engineering and constructing things – these heroes of our society showcase our genius for creativity, resilience and adaptation. With some government help and support, they could do even better. Thus, we formally reached out to the informal sector. Our administration established support structures like microcredit schemes and enterprise fund targeting the informal sector in order to boost its capacity and enhance its already impressive economic output.

Our aim was to integrate this sector into the mainstream of economic productivity by creating much needed commercial infrastructure. This not only increased economic activity and growth but also enlarged the tax base of the state, thus enhancing our capacity to undertake the transformative projects we had on the planning board.