#From The Archive 2– I wrote this ONE WEEK after Gomina Fayemi’s 1st Year in office. But they abused me, called me names… If they had listened…# WHO WILL TELL FAYEMI? By Lere Olayinka On Saturday, October 15, 2011, it made one year that Dr. John Oluwakayode Fayemi was declared governor of Ekiti State in a judgment that has remained controversial since it was delivered. To mark the one year that the Ekiti governorship was awarded to him, Governor Fayemi commissioned projects, some of them uncompleted and some already completed months before he became governor. One of the projects was the former Odua Textile building that was converted to market stalls and the six blocks of market stalls being built at Mathew, Agric Olope area of Ado-Ekiti. As I write, the roof of the former Odua Textile building is yet to be completed while the market stalls at Agric Olope are still being plastered. Yet, Fayemi commissioned them on October 15! As Fayemi was commissioning the uncompleted projects, a journalist friend, who came from, outside the State to see things for himself called me, and said; “Se governor yin yi mo nkan to nse sa? (Does this governor of yours know what he is doing at all)? He is commissioning an uncompleted project here.” I was speechless for a while; and by the time I found my voice, the only question that came to my mind was; “Who among the people calling Fayemi “Mr. Governor” or “Your Excellency” will tell him that even a journalist that would report the commissioning of his uncompleted projects said he (Fayemi) does not know what he was doing?” Basking in the euphoria of his purchased judicial victory, Fayemi upon his swearing in had rolled out what he described as his 8-Point Agenda. He said; “Your health will be my wealth as we set about fulfilling our promise of an affordable, accessible healthcare for every Ekiti citizen. Education, our heritage and weapon against ignorance shall receive a religious attention. For the good of our people and to the Greater Glory of humanity, I declare Education free for all primary and secondary school pupils. Children at birth up to five years of age, pregnant women and senior citizens are exempted from paying medical bills in all government hospitals. In addition, we shall introduce a social security scheme for all our senior citizens that are 65 and above within the shortest possible time.” However, who will confront Fayemi now and ask him why education in Ekiti State is now more expensive than it was under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government? Who will tell Fayemi that in spite of his promise of free education, our educational system is not in any form better than it was left by the PDP government? Today, students of the 22 boarding schools in the State that were paying N10,500 as tuition fees per term now pay over N20,000. Buying of desks by students, which had been eradicated before Fayemi assumed office has also returned, with new students asked to pay N7, 000 and above or bring desk from their homes. Free textbooks are no longer available in the schools! Also, Scholarship Scheme created by the PDP government in which over 2,000 students had benefitted has been abolished. Digital Education Programme under which 1,650 free laptops (connected to the internet) were provided for SSS1 students has been abolished with the laptops withdrawn from the students. Also, School Feeding Programme under which school pupils were fed with eggs and chocolate also been abolished In spite of the difficulties being faced by Ekiti youths in securing admission into universities (over 40,000 students applied for admission into the newly created Federal University, Oye-Ekiti), Fayemi merged the three state owned universities into one. The new sole University is known as the Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti (EKSU). But as at today however, EKSU is yet to be approved by the National University Commission (NUC), meaning that Ekiti State does not have a legally recognised State university at the moment. Fayemi also promised free and qualitative health care delivery, but one year after he assumed office, who will tell the governor that nothing has been done to improve on the health institutions he met on ground. Rather, primary health workers in the State have been on strike for the better part of this year, and are still on strike now. Because of this strike action, Ekiti children are now being taken to neighbouring Ondo, Osun and Kogi States for polio immunization. Most ridiculously, the Oba Adejuyigbe General Hospital, Ado Ekiti, which was under construction before Fayemi became governor had been long abandoned, and market stalls are now being built 500 metres to the site! The State’s General Hospitals and Teaching Hospital are also facing dearth of doctors, even as patients now pay more in the State’s health institutions. Apart from non-performance, which is now so glaring, Fayemi has also been running a government that is not far from that of vendetta. Immediately Fayemi took oath of office, his first pronouncement was that all permanent secretaries appointed by the Segun Oni-led administration should revert to their positions prior to the appointments. The public uproar that greeted the directive made him reversed the decision 24 hours later, but the permanent secretaries were retired prematurely few weeks after. Also, the State Accountant General, Mr. David Ibikunle was forced to resign because he was “friendly” with the governor. He has since been replaced by Fayemi’s cousin. He also for no just cause sacked the Vice Chancellors (VC) of the University of Ado-Ekiti (UNAD), Prof Dipo Kolawole, the University of Science and Technology (USTI), Ifaki-Ekiti; Prof Oye Bandele and the defunct University of Education (TUNEDIK), Ikere-Ekiti, Prof Akin Ogunlade. The three VCs were sacked without recourse to the governing councils of the respectful universities. Out of vendetta, Fayemi also scrapped USTI established and adequately funded by the Oni-led administration. Sequel to this vengeful agenda, a trip to South Korea by 34 students of USTI for a one-year Exchange Programme with the Semyung University, Jecheon City, Chungbuk, South-Korea was cancelled. The one-year programme would have enabled the students to obtain dual degree certificates. But still, who is going to tell Fayemi that he is now called names like Fayehun, Fayeye, Fayeya, Fapohunda, Adagunodo, Ojopagogo. Above all, who will tell Fayemi that he is now being referred to as Gomina Wolewole (Governor that is demolishing houses)? To pave way for his flower-planting project on which over N2 billion is to be spent, houses and shops have been demolished in Ado-Ekiti, thereby depriving the people of their sources of livelihood. No alternative settlement or compensation was provided for victims of the demolition. Most importantly, even if the government is claiming that urban centres in the State must be beautified, of what use is beatification of roads, with potholes deep enough to swallow a whole vehicle? But who is going to tell Fayemi? Again, some parts of Egbewa area of Ado-Ekiti have been billed for demolition to pave way for the construction of a low cost housing estate. Residences of Federal High Court and Appeal Court judges in Ado-Ekiti are also billed for demolition. Even members of his party, the ACN are aggrieved. Reason is that political positions that ought to have been given to them have been shared among Fayemi’s family members, Lagos, Ibadan and Ghana based friends. For instance, Fayemi’s wife, Bisi is the chairman of the State Agency on Aids and Technical Committee on Tourism, his cousin; Benedict Owolabi, is the State Accountant General, younger brother; Jide Fayemi is Fountain Investment’s Controller of Finance, elder sister, Mrs Oloko is the Chairman, Governing Council of the College of Health Technology, Ijero-Ekiti while Fayemi’s elder brother, Segun is in charge of what is now known as Baba Ijebu (lotto) in Ekiti. Today in Ekiti, if Fayemi is not being called Gomina Wolewole, he is called Fayehun etc. And those who are not calling him names are singing to decry his government. The latest of the songs is; “o ti yara gbagbe re o, ileri re igbakan, a se bintin logbon ori e, iwo ti a ro pe ogbon” (You have forgotten your promises of those days. So, your brain is so little, you that we believed was intelligent). Interestingly, when Fayemi became governor via the Salamic judgment, the song was; “O ti mu wa gbagbe re o, ibanuje igbakan, a se were nise Oluwa, Oba to a pe to nje.” (You have made us to forget the pains of the past. God works in a miraculous way, the Lord that we called and He answered). Now it has changed. But who will tell Fayemi? Lastly, as at the time PDP was leaving government on October 15, 2010 via the Salamic judgment, Ekiti was number 10 in overall Human Development in Nigeria in 2009, according to the UNDP Human Development Report Nigeria. 2008 - 2009. Ekiti ranked number one in Nigeria in terms of Life Expectancy at Birth (years). Who will ask Fayemi where we are now? Olayinka, a journalist sent this piece from Okemesi-Ekiti
Posted on: Sat, 11 Oct 2014 19:43:06 +0000
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