Is President Olusegun Obasanjo's proposed National Dialogue the way forward for Nigeria?
'Allow Me to Turn Ekiti into Paradise'
By Deji Akinbode, 12.15.2004
ekiti
Governor Peter Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has begged his critics to allow him to keep his current level of performance going in order to turn the state into paradise, alleging that some of his critics were out to thwart his vision for the state. Constructive criticisms, he said, could help him achieve a lot, but "when some people allow politics to becloud their sense of judgment seeing nothing good in what I am doing, engaging in a relentless media war to distract government. I think is not good enough for the development of Ekiti State." Speaking at a meeting with Ekiti indigenes resident in Oyo State, Fayose who charged the indigenes to persuade his critics to allow him a breathing space observed that the state could only be developed if all the indigenes rally round the government and discourage bitterness, rancour and "pull him down syndrome." "Many of these people causing trouble in the state are from Ekiti, they are not from Oyo, Ondo or any part of the country, they are the ones orchestrating media war, all in an attempt to distract me and slow down the development of the state, lease, beg them to stop it," he said. Basking in the euphoria of his achievements in the areas of infrastructure, education agriculture, and social amenities, the governor whose speech was intermittently punctuated by applause from the elated audience boasted that he had never borrowed from any bank to develop the state.
"I am not saying borrowing is bad if necessary, but I am telling you that I have been able to manage and harness our resources to cater for our needs and from my experience. Ekiti is not as poor as people were made to believe," he stressed.
According to him "when I assumed office, I inherited 52 cooks in government house, I got monthly bill of N2.1 million on telephone, I had to re-distribute the cooks, today, I get only N700,000 on telephone as a result of reform, but when you are doing this reform, you are like the enemy of people." Governor Fayose further said, "I promised to make the difference, in Ekiti today, a lot of sectors have received government attention that when you visit the state, you will not believe your eyes as opposed to what you read in the papers. Governor Fayose who was advised to concentrate his energy only on the state roads retorted 'people in the village do not know the difference between the federal, state or local government roads, I rehabilitate all because only a bad governor would give an excuse of federal road.' His words: "I have not received a dime over all the federal roads I rehabilitated, and that will not discourage me because my vision for the state is to transform it, later, the Federal Government will pay me. The meeting which attracted prominent sons and daughters of Ekiti resident in Oyo State was a follow-up to the several others with a view to getting inputs into the Fayose's administration policy thrust. Various speakers at the occasion commended the governor for his dynamism and hardwork, urging him not to be discouraged by the scathing criticisms saying criticism is easier than craftsmanship.
Axiom PSI Yam Festival Series, Iri Ji Nd'Igbo the Kola-Nut Series,Nigeria Masterweb
Norimatsu| Nigeria Forum |
Biafra | Biafra
Nigeria | BLM | Hausa Forum
| Biafra
Web | Voice of
Biafra | Okonko Research and Igbology| | Igbo World | BNW | MASSOB | Igbo
Net | bentech | IGBO FORUM
| HAUSANET (AWUSANET) | AREWA FORUM
| YORUBANET | YORUBA FORUM
| New Nigeriaworld | WIC:World Igbo Congress
