On October 16, 2019, Governor Kayode Fayemi clocked one year in his second term tenure in office. Though, one cannot claim that all his electioneering promises and people’s expectation have all been met and fulfilled, but laying of a rocky foundation for future prosperity has begun and the ray of hope signaling prospect and steady progress has started to manifest.
Before his foray into the political turf to vie for a second term tenure, Fayemi knew the state of the economy. He knew quite well that it was in a bad and distasteful taste, if not gradually going into comatose. But he believed that with strategic and innovative thinking from the leadership and strong cooperation via participatory democracy from the citizens, that all the challenges can be suppressed for the state to be moved to a higher pedestal in the areas of improved economy, better welfare package for the citizens, upgrades infrastructure facilities, robust social investment and good education for our citizens.
Governor Fayemi began his campaign under the acronym: “Reclaiming the Land, Restoring Our Values ’’. The governor was not unaware of the fact that for the task of building a strong economy that could favourably translate into democracy gains to be achievable, that there must be attitudinal change. The values of industry, hard work, honesty, transparency etc. Ekiti were known for must be reignited to stamp out decadence that has eaten deep into our societal fabrics. With zeal and commitment of the present government to leadership, the state is now bouncing back and the lost dignity is returning while the respect we commanded naturally and internationally is quickly being restored. The land those perceived to be mediocres have hijacked, has been reclaimed. Today, every fertile mind in Ekiti is being respected and given space to operate in the political space.
From time immemorial, Ekiti was averse to the culture of begging, because every Ekiti man valued self dignity and good social status. This could be predicated on the premise of good brotherhood, strong family ties and we-culture among the populace. But due to lopsided policies, begging was elevated to an alarming rate before his second term. This could not be unconnected with non-payment of salaries and pensions to those who could serve as breadwinners that could bail out the poor population from poverty. Governor Fayemi has made prompt and timely payment of salary a focal point of his government and he has not defaulted for 12 months. He has even promised to fortify the civil servants more economically, by paying N 30,000 minimum wage. To strengthen the social economy, the governor has approved a sum of N100 million monthly subvention to pay gratuities and pensions from the paltry N 10 million earmarked for the sector in the past. The states in partnership with the Nigerian Union of Pensioner’s have endowed a sum of N 10 million to palliate the suffering of distressed retirees.
A society cannot witness peace under a pervaded injustice. This government has created a favourable atmosphere for social justice to thrive. A lot of laws like the Gender Based Violence Prohibition Law and equal opportunities law, among others have been promulgated to create equality among the citizens. The increasing incidences of rape, defilement and social harassment of the female gender are being tackled headlong. A law has been engineered and now receiving consideration at the House of Assembly that will approve a strong verdict of medical castration for rapists and defilers. Unlike in the past, it is now a crime to discriminate against anyone seeking employment or any favour on account of gender and physical challenges. This is fast returning Ekiti to that land where justice and peace prevail. In spite of the paucity of funds occasioned by the huge burden of debt and strong commitment to payment of salary, the governor still believed that Ekiti must be connected to the external world through physical infrastructures for improved economy. Governor Fayemi has begun the construction of an international Cargo Airport in Ekiti that will open up the state’s agrarian capacity to the global patronage. While flagging off the project in conjunction with the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, Governor Fayemi stated that the project will generate employment for the skilled and unskilled population of Ekiti, open up the economy and expose the state’s agriculture capacity when commence operation. The Ekiti State civic centre that will serve as a converging point for the Youths to sharTaking cognizance of how the economy is being rebuilt and rejigged, Governor Fayemi is living up to expectation of all the strata of the society. The old and young, Civil Servants, the private sector, skilled and unskilled labour are receiving patronage knowing full well that no economy can be solely developed by an individual, but via collective efforts. Going by what he has been preaching, which rests heavily on cooperation of all critical stakeholders, the state needs the help of all the citizens to move to an enviable pedestal and once this is accomplished, the task of moving Ekiti to the Next Level as envisioned by Governor Fayemi will be achievable.
The view point was written by Dalimore Aluko, An Assistant Principal, Ikere high school, Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti