Opposition in Ekiti Destructive, Says Adelaja
Mrs. Modupe Adelaja, the Director-General of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (SMEDA) and former Minister of State for Defence was in Ekiti State recently as part of efforts to open up business avenues across the country . However, in the course of her visit, she spoke with reporters, essentially on what brought her to the state fondly called the Fountain of Knowledge. Winnie Misan Inoniyegha was there. Excerpts
Perhaps, we start from your mission here in Ekiti. As the DG of SMEDAN, what are you doing here? I am in Ekiti State to flag off survey/census of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, which is part of my mandate as the Director-General of the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN).
But does it really worth it considering the remoteness, size and the low commercial sector of the state which is predominantly a civil service state?
On the contrary, we at SMEDAN headquarters in Abuja, have a different opinion. This is because reports at our disposal, which actually precipitated the visit to Ekiti State say government is pioneering a multi-sectoral reform effort, which on the long run will provide an enabling environment for the growth of small and medium scale enterprises in accordance with our vision as an agency. It is indeed heartwarming that the state government is addressing the lack of basic social infrastructure with a pragmatic approach.
So, what do you, as an agency of the federal government, hope to achieve at the end of the day?
This visit will be historic,simply because it will leave foot points in the sands of time and in hearts of the people of Ekiti, Governor Ayo Fayose has already set the ball rolling by creating the enabling environment through the development of social infrastructures as I mentioned earlier. Our job will actually be made easy with the state government initiative of developing a computerised data base of all SMEs (Small and Medium Scale Enterprises) in the state as a rider to its internally generated revenue, which I hear skyrocketed from a paltry 30 million naira per month to a whooping 101 million naira monthly and my heart almost jumped into my mouth as I wondered where have all this hidden treasures been. So the mission of SMEDAN in Ekiti will really complement government efforts in a spirit of partnership that works.
You will agree that this is the central theme of modern day business the world over. Cooperation and pooling of resources together to maximise potentials. With the kind of mutual cooperation, mobilising support and public interest particularly the common man is very very endearing and unique, I must confess. May I recall during the heat of the national campaign by the PDP in 2003, I accompanied President Obasanjo to Ekiti State and I could not hold back tears from my eyes as I saw people in their multitudes lining the streets and openly displayed their support for Mr. Fayose who wasn't an incumbent but an aspirant, I knew in my heart that he would win and I am glad that today, a year after, he has sustained the interest and welfare of the people in the execution of all his programmes and policies.
We were also delighted at SMEDAN, days back, to watch on television and read in the dailies, that Governor Fayose led a strong delegation of first class Obas in the state to visit President Obasanjo at the villa in Aso rock and some of the fall-outs of the meeting were the agreement of the federal government to dualise Ado Ekiti township roads at 100 million naira, construction of the Ado Iworoko Otun-Omu Aran road and some other federal roads in the state to open up and boost commerce. So to answer your question, generally I say to you as D-G SMEDAN, that we are happy at the giant strides of the young man in cutting the edge in developmental initiatives and we are really, really proud to identity with him and his government approach, a scenario, which had hitherto been the bane of investment flow into the state, I mean the lack of water, electricity and bad roads which made the overhead cost of doing business in Ekiti to be very high was a nightmare which scared off potential investors.
It is quite interesting that the state government is collaborating with the local government councils to execute some of these projects jointly, all in the interest of the masses and ultimately for the growth and development of the economy. We hear that the issue of water is being addressed with the purchase of a water rig estimated at 60 million naira, four new tankers, 500KVA generator for the waterworks in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, while Mr. President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has given his nod for intervention and support in the resuscitation of major dams in the state for maximum distribution of water throughout the nooks and crannies of the state for a higher and longer life expectancy of the citizens.
Furthermore, we are pleased at SMEDAN that the issue of electricity is also being address alongside. Transformers have been bought for the 16 local government councils as a stop gap measure while plans were on for the completion of the 132KVA project.
Now the style of the governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose whom I often, fondly refer to as "my own brother", in galvanizing, and respect and the spirit of camaraderie that exists between the state and the council chairmen in Ekiti, we should have no problems in translating our policy thrust into action in the areas of reduction in unemployment through job creation, wealth creation and increased economic and social welfare and poverty reduction. Also, in such areas as increased utilization of local raw materials, backward integration and intra business linkages, reducing cost of doing business through improved access to business information and infrastructure, reduction in rural-urban migration, improving living standards of rural and urban population as well as rapid nationaleconomic growth and development.
These nine-point agenda are in tandem with the policy thrust of Ekiti State and by extension the national economic reforms of the federal government to kick start the economy into today's international global village. I am very optimistic there won't be any problem at all. It will be smooth sail, I assure you.
In putting up such plans as they appear, did you consider the attitude of the people as low risk takers, and attribute which can be explained by their love for education rather than the risky world of business?
Yes I agree, at the mention of Ekiti what readily comes to mind, is book, book and book. It is no surprise that they are referred to as the fountain of knowledge. But the attitude you talked about is fast changing now through the dynamism and revolution injected and spearheaded by Governor Fayose. Even the education industry you mentioned had a dose of the revolution. There was a policy shift from the free education of yesterdays, after a summit, where all stakeholders unanimously agreed to pay a token for their children's school fees to restore the standards of olds, which were steadily going down the drains as evidenced by the poor performance of college students in public examinations.
So the quick response of government was to clear the backlog of debts owed by the immediate past government and inject a new blood into the system to achieve excellence.
Now on the attitude of the people, the resultant effect of the revolution is that it's a new song, a new clinic and indeed a new beginning
It might interest you to know that Ekiti is now on the website, which I consider a major business breakthrough. The people, I believe are cultivating a new business posture and attitude for the betterment of their lives.
Interestingly, your understanding of Ekiti also suggests that you nurture some kind of relationship with the governor. Are you in anyway related?
As a true patriot and particularly as D-G of a business organisation like SMEDAN, we need information about various activities of state governments in Nigeria to enable synergy between us and them. From our headquarters in Abuja, we have watched Ekiti with keen interest and I must register our pleasure with Governor Fayose's pro-active measures supported with concrete actions, which have provided a fertile base for SMEDAN initiatives to flourish.
From all indications, he is doing a good job and it's a testimony to the leadership potentials of the youth and a challenge to the young generation to have a re-think and refocus on the craze for materialism to virtues of hardwork, honesty and integrity.
What would you tell the people of the state before you leave?
Well I just want to make a clarion call to all and when I say all I mean all the Ekiti family no matter your political leaning to close ranks and join the re-building process. It is time to rebuild the young state on the ashes of yesterday for the state to be on the forward march with their older colleagues in other parts of Nigeria. Elections have come and gone. Bickering and wrangling are clogs in the wheel of progress. I want to urge all and sundry to join the boat of development in the interest of the founding fathers of the state, who agitated for the state creation for years on end barring all odds to have a separate identify in the Nigerian project.
Now that the state has come, the sweat, sacrifice and good intention of the prime movers of the idea, which definitely has a spiraling positive bandwagon effect on this generation and those yet unborn, should not be frittered and wished away on the altar of playing polities and chasing shadows.
Ekiti is not the only state where power changed hands in the last general elections, but in five South West states except Lagos, interestingly the opposition in these five other states are not as vociferous and destructive as can be observed in Ekiti State. I mean taking a drive round Ado Ekiti, even as you enter the boundaries of the state as a traveller or a visitor, the change is obvious for the blind to see.
Look, I believe that Mr. Fayose has a divine mandate of four years. The beauty of democracy as against military rule is that it has its in-built mechanisms for checks and balances. It is powered by people and a majority, its very straightforward. I mean if you do well you get the majority approval and if you fail to deliver you get the boot, that's all. No story, No excuses for failure. There is a time for reckoning.
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