His Excellency, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi turned 47 few days ago, and I still have friends asking if 47 is the Governor's "official" age! While, I have never been privy to a normal human being having two dates of birth, "official", and possibly "unofficial" as it may be, JK has just only one birth date. The reason for the question is that most people just couldn't comprehend how much he has achieved within a short space of time. The former governor, Engineer Segun Oni was in the same State House for 36 months, and frankly, judgement is better left for the Ekitis on the situation "before"and "after". The fact is there is the Age. There is the Wisdom. The later does not come, usually with the former. One thing that sets him apart is that he was well prepared for the task of governance. Apart from being blessed with the capacity to lead from the front, his understanding of being a Visioneer is second to none. JK has NOT been a product of accidental politicking. Each of the 8 - Point Agenda had been well thought of, brilliantly scrutinised, and possibilities were tested. And believe me...lots of the groundwork were laid on a pile of carpet night after night ! RescueEkiti, the vehicle of conception. Indeed, great things are born when others are in bed snoring.
The art and act of governance is what is on exhibition in Ekiti State of Nigeria.
Due to the demands of my very busy schedule, I was not available to be at the State House during the His Excellency's birthday this year. However, and as much as I know him, he would have spent the whole of the period thinking on the development of the State, Ekiti, that is. I remember quite vividly when the Governor tuned 46 last year, the visiting experts from the World Bank were around to assess those areas of the Governor's 8 - Point Agenda, and where and how they would be involved. I was the least surprised when His Excellency announced that the birthday celebration was the least important as the business of the State comes first, and foremost. That's speaks the representation as well as the personality of the person I have known for more than 25 years!
I am reproducing the piece by Sayo Ifedayo Sayo, a Senior Special Assistant to Ekiti State Governor titled "Fayemi at 47: Taking Ekiti to greater heights", which I believe captures comprehensively, what the game has been since the retrieval of the stolen mandate about 16 months ago. Meanwhile, I truly believe you ain't seen nothing yet, and the monumentals of the best is yet to come.
Here you go...
One major tragedy of governance in Nigeria is the fact that most political office holders were never prepared for governance. Many got to the position of authority either reluctantly or were pressurised to contest for political office. This situation accounted for the failure of many in political offices. Even in cases where politicians drew up programmes for execution, it is often regarded as a mere window dressing to cajole the electorate into voting them into office.
This lack of confidence in political office holders by the electorate is responsible for the incessant pecuniary demands by the people on politicians (The sharing of the national cake syndrome). But in Ekiti State, the youthful governor of the state, Dr Kayode Fayemi, who clocked 47 on Thursday, appears to be charting a new path of confidence-building between the electorate and the rulers. After a three-and-half-year legal battle, he assumed office with an eight-point agenda with which he has asked his people to assess his performance. The all embracing agenda included participatory governance, infrastructural development, modernising agriculture, education and capital development, health care services, industrial development, tourism and gender equality and empowerment. Almost 16 months into the four-year tenure, people have started assessing the performance of the governor based on the eight-point agenda.
For instance, a pro-democracy group, Ekiti Democrats, believes the governor has not disappointed the electorate. Coordinator of the group, Dr Funso Adekunle, said the various welfare programmes put in place by the governor has endeared him to the grassroots. He pointed at the state Social Security Scheme through which indigent elders are being paid N5,000 monthly and the Youth Volunteer Corps through which thousands of youths across were allowed to earn a living. True to Adekunle’s claim, over 10,000 elders across the state are benefitting from the Social Security Scheme. The programme was designed to take care of the indigent elders, many of those who do not have children that could look after their welfare at old age.
The Youth Volunteer Corps has removed 5,000 unemployed youths from the streets while more are in the process of being recruited by the Youth Employment and Job Creation Agency of the state government. The youths who were camped and trained to inculcate the values and other virtues for which the state is known, are presently working in different government establishments. But a curious review of the performance of the governor in the last 16 months showed that he dedicated his first oneyear in office to putting in place a legal frame work for the actualisation of his programmes and the implementation of welfare programmes for the people of the state.
No wonder that several bills were sent to the state assembly for passage into law. Having done with the issue of the legal frame work for the transformation of the state the governor embarked on several welfarist programmes including establishment of Social Security Scheme, Youth Volunteer Corps, Micro Credit facilities, tourism development, mechanised farming, free education, free health programmes and provision of pipe borne water supply including rehabilitation of dams, road construction among other programmes. For instance, apart from continuing with inherited road projects, the governor awarded 13 new road projects to improve on the network of roads in the state.
These contractors who have been mobilised and are already working to meet the deadline of between six and 12 months for the completion of the projects, have pledged to deliver on schedule. These roads include Igede-Awo-Ido; Igbara Odo-Ikere; Ikogosi-Ipole Iloro-Ayetoro; dualisation of Old Garage- Ojumose; dualisation of First Baptist-Atikankan; Ijan-Ise; Ijero-Ipoti and Ilawe-Igbara Odo-Ibuji road. These are in addition to the Ado-Ekiti - Ifaki dual carriage road, Ado-Ilawe, Ado-Afao, Ewu Bridge, Aramoko-Ijero-Ido, Osun-Iloro and Awo-Iyin which are nearing completion. Others are Ikole-Ijesa Isu-Ilumoba; Ijigbo Baptist College-Ilawe road; Ojumose- Basiri-Police Headquarters; Fajuyi-University Teaching Hospital road and Oye-Ikun- Otun road. One major ingredient of the projects is the inclusion of local content which makes it mandatory for contractors to employ a certain percentage of their workers from their area of operation. The Kayode Fayemi administration in keeping with his agenda for the transformation of the state has also embarked on urban renewal project to give the state capital, Ado-Ekiti, a new look.
The urban renewal project which began last year is expected to be completed this year. The programme includes planting of ornament trees and flower as well as construction of walk ways. It also includes construction of mechanic village and new motor parks on the outskirts of the state capital. Beyond the issue of urban renewal, the state government has placed the provision of potable water to the citizenry on high priority. For instance, in continuation of the 2009 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), it has provided water treatment plants for the five communities including Ido-Ile, Okemesi, Efon alaaye, Ipole Iloro and Erijiyan To ensure that residents of Ado-Ekiti have access to drinkable water, the government is laying a dedicated 300m ductile steel pipeline from Ado-Ekiti head works to Mary Hill, a distance of about 4.5km. There is also pipeline extension from Mary Hill to Ajibade-Idolofin-Housing and another pipeline extension from Ogotun to Ipole Iloro, a distance of 12km.
Sayo is a Senior Special Assistant to Ekiti State Governor
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