Mr. Femi Orebe wrote gleefully about Fayemi in the Nations newspaper of October 19, 2013 – A peep into Fayemi’s Second Term, as if Governor Fayemi’s administration is the best thing to happen to Ekiti. Indeed, Fayemi has been TESTED but certainly not TRUSTED by all Ekiti people as Mr. Orebe and other beneficiaries of Fayemi’s government would want the world to believe. Without any prejudice, Mr. Orebe reserves the right to speak for himself but the entire Ekiti people.
All the achievements credited to Fayemi are nothing beyond normal expectation from anyone that truly understands what governance is all about. To put the record straight, most of the road projects commissioned and credited to Fayemi were initiated by his predecessors in office. Notwithstanding his tactless approach to governance, ex Governor Ayo Fayose did not perform any less than Governor Fayemi. However, they are both self conceited and intolerant of the opposition.
Fayose started road dualisation projects in Ado Ekiti and opened up new routes where none existed before. Fayemi has not opened any new route. Furthermore, Fayose administration initiated and completed the prestigious Fountain Hotel within the three years of his administration. Hence, it sounds so ridiculous to hear some self righteous supporters of Fayemi suffocating others with praises of Fayemi for doing what he was elected and duly paid to do. It is more ridiculous to hear them sound like a broken record as if second term is Fayemi’s birthright, relegating the right of Ekiti people to choose to the background.
Unlike Fayemi, it is interesting to note that Fayose executed most of his project without burdening Ekiti with debt. Orebe, in the same pattern with Fagbenle and Omatseye, conveniently forgot to inform the public about how much indebtedness, in billions, Fayemi has subjected Ekiti to in his three years of administration. As controversial as Fayose was, he publicly declared that Ekiti State is not poor (Vanguard, 9 January 2005). This declaration presupposes that, with a prudent manager of resources, much can be achieved in Ekiti without mortgaging the future and fortune of Ekiti land.
Contrary to the pristine picture of Fayemi as portrayed by Orebe, a large section of Ekiti people sees Fayemi as a hypocrite. Fayemi reportedly criticised his predecessors for over bloated political appointees, but to the chagring of many, Fayemi is reputedly one of the governors with highest political appointees across the country; his political appointees far outnumbers his predecessors’ that he criticised to high heaven.
On assumption of office, Fayemi publicly declared a reduction in tertiary education school fees; this is one promise clearly not kept, students in University of Ado Ekiti now pay more fees than what they use to pay before Fayemi’s assumption of office.
Many political violence in Ekiti state occurred under the watch of Fayemi with accusing fingers pointing in the direction of some of his aides. Fayemi’s administration certainly ranks high in the level of political intolerance in the history of Ekiti state. Governor Fayemi has also been leveled with the allegation of making illegal deduction from local government allocations and practically stalled local government election. In addition, Fayemi, a supposedly pro democracy activist perpetrated many illegalities one of which was the illegal dissolution of Ekiti State Local Government Service Commission.
At the Court of Appeal, while delivering judgment on the illegal dissolution suit that ensued, Presiding Justice Uwani Musa Abba-Aji likened Fayemi’s action to that of a military dictator. According to the learned Jurist, it was expected that such dictatorial actions would have ended in 1999 when the country returned to democratic rule (Vanguard July 5, 2011). Obviously, this may amount to nothing in the judgment of sanctimonious promoters, beneficiaries and godfathers of Governor Fayemi.
To place things in proper perspective, Governor Fayemi may have performed excellently well in the estimation of Mr Femi Orebe and other beneficiaries of Fayemi’s administration, not all Ekiti people share this sentiment; certainly, not an average Ekiti man whose life has not be impacted positively under Fayemi’s government.
Just to keep the record straight, Mr. Femi Orebe is the current chairman of Nigerite Limited, Lagos (a subsidiary of Odua Investment), an appointment he got as a nominee of Governor Fayemi, representing Ekiti State interest on the Board of Odua Investment. This may explain why he sees Governor Fayemi as the best thing to have happened to Ekiti people. The truth is that Ekiti has abundant of people that can surpass Fayemi in all ramifications.
While Fayemi may have done all what Mr. Orebe would want us to believe, the fact remains that Fayemi has faltered on so many grounds that would have warranted his impeachment in other climes. Rather than playing God, Mr Orebe and his ilk should allow Ekiti people to freely choose the next governor among all the eligible aspirants and encourage democracy to flourish in the Ekiti state.
The growth and entrenchment of democratic values in Ekiti state, nay, Nigeria, is our collective responsibility.
Written By Ishola Abolade
isholade@consultant.com
