A new chapter opened in Ekiti State on October 16, 2018 with the inauguration of Dr. Kayode Fayemi of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the governor of the state for a term of four years.
This is the second time Fayemi is coming to govern the state, having been in the same position between 2010 and 2014. He lost his bid to secure a second term to Mr. Ayodele Fayose of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Fayemi won the July 14, 2018 governorship election having beaten his closest rival and PDP candidate who was also the deputy governor of the state, Professor Kolapo Olusola. Though he was appointed Minister of Solid Mineral Development under President Muhammadu Buhari, Fayemi was of the view that he was robbed in 2014.
Coming to power once again is therefore a dream come true for Fayemi and the APC to improve on the achievements recorded during his first tenure.
The inauguration which attracted party and state dignitaries was witnessed by a large crowd who came to hear what the governor has for them in the next four years. No doubt, Fayemi knows that much has been given to him and much is also being expected from him to justify the confidence the electorate has reposed in him.
The governor, who arguably understands the task ahead of him, in his inauguration speech, promised to perform creditably to restore the dignity of the state through good governance. In fact, his campaign slogan, “Reclaiming our land, restoring our values”, is an indication that the governor is aware that a lot has to be done to bring back lost grounds within the four years he will be in the saddle.
To achieve the target set for himself, Fayemi must scale some hurdles for the people to feel the impact of his government and restore their confidence. Promising to take off as soon as possible, finance might be a major challenge to the new government as the state depends entirely on the monthly federal allocation.
The governor has promised to revitalize revenue generation initiated by his government but later abandoned by the Fayose administration. This includes the Ikogosi Water Spring which the governor regretted has been overgrown with weeds and become an abode for termites and reptiles due to long abandonment.
Another challenge is arrears of salaries inherited by his government. It is learnt that the past administration owes secondary school teachers and other civil servants four months salary arrears, local government workers six months, and pensioners eight months unpaid pensions! There are also unpaid leave bonuses and deductions from workers’ cooperatives, among others.
Although Fayemi had promised prior the election and even in his inauguration speech to offset the backlog of salaries inherited by his government, pay them as when due, what is giving the people a serious concern is where the money will come from, considering the fact that the state is predominantly civil service- driven and populated by peasant farmers.
Another likely source of headache is how to restore the confidence of the civil servants whose morale has been dampened as a result of non-payment of salaries and allowances by the former governor. Fayemi will also be confronted with high rate of unemployment among the youth.
When he was in government, he introduced the Peace Corps, Youth Commercial Agriculture (YCAD) and Traffic Control Agency (Dagreen). These agencies among others, recruited youths into their folds and paid them varying amounts as salary and allowances. On assumption, however, Fayose disbanded the outfits.
The new governor is already being confronted with how to offset the N170 billion debt he allegedly inherited from the former administration.
He said in his inauguration speech, “As we assume office, it is our duty, and we will live up to it, to ensure we thoroughly review, document and widely disseminate the present state of affairs so that all and sundry can know what has become of our commonwealth.
Independently verifiable preliminary findings indicate that we have been plunged into a debt abyss of over N170 billion, with commitments to innumerable white elephant projects, an average of eight months salaries owed across government entities and many state assets unaccounted for.
“We will ensure that within 100 days from today, Ekiti Kete will know the true position of things, in keeping with our ethos of transparency and accountability in governance. We are not interested in trials by media, witch-hunt or playing to the gallery. We will seek out the truth and lay it before our people.”
Fayemi’s worries also include how to restore the values the state cherished but which he alleged has been eroded in recent years by the past administration through what he termed “crass ineptitude, loquacious ignorance, and ravenous corruption masquerading as governance in our state during this past administration.
“My vision for our great state is that this is a place where people can thrive and live their lives in dignity, a place where workers do not labour in vain, a place where our young people do not roam the streets looking for jobs that are not there, a place where people are not so hungry they resort to pilfering food to survive, a place where the cycle of generational poverty can be broken, and in which our elderly can reap the fruits of their labour over their children, a place where people are safe, healthy and prosperous,” he said.
Fayemi said his government would focus on four areas through which it could deliver its promises to the people. The four pillars, according to him, include social investments, knowledge economy, infrastructure and industrial development, agriculture and rural development.
To surmount the challenges enumerated above, the governor must bring his experiences as a former governor and minister to bear. Already, he is basking on his good rapport with the federal government in addressing the economy of the state as President Muhammadu Buhari has promised to come to his aid through various projects that will support quick recovery of the state.
