Fayose: I will Give Ekiti a New Look

The thunderous joy witnessed when the results of 21, June, 2014 Governorship Election in Ekiti were announced gives credence to Fayose populist style of politics, not populist programmes that would put money in the pockets of the electorates in the immediate at the expense of their future but populist programmes that will empower the people especially people in rural areas through agriculture, that would put food on their table.


Populist programmes that will encourage allocation of contracts to competent indigenous contractors from Ekiti thereby positively impacting on their lives. It is not fair to give contract of construction and supply of primary school tables and chairs to a Lagos contractor while we have thousands of furniture makers in Ekiti who can competently and diligently handle it. It is just like what Fayose himself said that giving a contract of 2millon to a Lagos contractor will make him a master here in Ekiti, that is the truth! Also creating employment for the teeming youth especially through PPP or BOT Initiatives.

The masses of highly educated Ekiti youth are therefore an enormous revolutionary dynamics. The public had heard tenaciously to the belief that the political party in power will always win any election because of what is commonly referred to in this part of the world as incumbency factor. This power of incumbency is euphemism for executive tyranny in all parts of the country – without an exception. But Fayose victory has proved that sovereignty truly belongs to the people and that the people’s power held in trust by the elected officers of any polity can be withdrawn by them during periodic elections.

Ekiti people are expecting so much from the Governor- elect and in order to sustain and improve on the goodwills he currently enjoys from the people, these are some of the things he must do.

. He must create an office to be called “special assistant to the governor on rural people NOT rural development. This office must be “field based” The office holder must always be traversing all the rural areas, the villages, communities in all the 16 L.G.A of the state, meeting and interacting with these rural people one-on –one on behalf of the governor, knowing and meeting their needs (both immediate and future). Fayose got about 70% votes from these rural dwellers so he needs to address their welfare 100%. The office must heavily invest on the human resources in these rural areas. To whom much is given much is expected. By so doing the governor will be more popular at the grassroots.

• He must create an office to be called “Special Adviser to the Governor on Rural Development” This office must also be “field based” The office holder will ensure the execution of infrastructural and developmental projects in all the nooks and crannies of the state; all the village, communities and settlements.

•He needs to reduce tuition fees in all the tertiary institutions of the state.

•He also needs to improve in the health care service delivery.

• He must run a very transparent and open- door administration.

•Lastly, he must continue to pay stipends to the old and the elderly people in the state.

I therefore implore all Ekiti sons and daughters (just as I admonished in my last publication in Sunday Sun Newspaper, page 10, 29th June, 2014) to support this great man in moving our dear state to a greater and enviable height.

As Ayo Fayose foot soldier and die-hard supporter since 2002, I have put my team on notice, come first week of next month August we will move to Ekiti to traverse all the over 500 rural communities and remote villages in the 16 LGA of the state. We would thank them for the support given to Fayose –our candidate, we would also interact with the rural dwellers sharing with them their prospects, aspirations and problems. This will be done as my contribution to support Ayo Fayose. Suffice me to say this project will be financed by my NGO, ethics and values advocacy. I promise to put all the experiences and interactions with these rural people in a small handbook of wish a copy will be given to the governor-elect.

Ekiti Kete “Ijoba tiwa ni tiwa ni o”!

  BY Tope Noah,