Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Re: SUNDAY MUSINGS: In Defence of Kayode Fayemi {Re: Fayose Is Constitutionally Ineligible To Run For Governor

Prof IBK,

Pilate could not have condenmed Jesus, if the people did not choose Barnabas. If they really identified with Christ, they would have asked for the release of Christ rather than Barnabas. The point is that the mass do not always know or support what is in their interest.

Nkolika

---

From: Ibukunolu A Babajide <ibk2005@gmail.com>
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Sent: Monday, June 30, 2014 9:46 AM
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Re: SUNDAY MUSINGS: In Defence of Kayode Fayemi {Re: Fayose Is Constitutionally Ineligible To Run For Governor

Prof. ,

Elevating the obvious lapses and inability to grasp basic fundamentals of statecraft because of elitist pride to the analogy of Jesus Christ is not only flawed but risible.

Ekiti is not occupied by Rome. There is no Pontius Pilate here. The people loved Jesus but the priests hated him because he came with his liberation theology. Jesus was unmarried and did not have an Erelu ruling alongside.

Need I continue?  The Igbo adage that says if you do not know where the rain began to soak you to the skin you may not know how to get out of it. This is the time for serious review and an opportunity to meet your people at the grass roots and engage with them. The guerrilla tactics of coming from abroad to come and Lord it over them is not working.

Cheers.

IBK

On 30 Jun 2014 10:20, "Mobolaji Aluko" <alukome@gmail.com> wrote:

Nkolika:

May your tribe increase!  You cannot imagine how many times I use your reasoning below to comfort MYSELF and others who might come to me wondering how one human being can be so mean or wicked to another, or how one can feel so un-appreciated despite one's effort.  Immediately I counsel as you did below, that dispirited person always walks away comforted, saying, "Yes o, I know, I know...."

With Jesus Christ, "The stone that was rejected is now the cornerstone......", and there continues to be weak examples among mere mortals.....

And there you have it....

Bolaji Aluko

On Sun, Jun 29, 2014 at 10:15 PM, 'Nkolika Ebele' via USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> wrote:

I do not think we should be very sad about the failure of Fayemi at the polls. The human spirit has not changed. If Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, who did so many good things for the people was rejected by the same people he came to save, who  is Fayemi? A prophet is not recognized in his homeland. Truth still suffers a lot on earth, and it is even worse in Nigeria. Those  doing the right thing in this country  many times look  very stupid. Sometimes, you start wondering if you have done wrong by not joining the rat race of self first. But I believe that the time for people like Fayemi shall come. A time shall come when only honest and selfless people shall be in government. I hope we shall all live to see that time. This madness cannot continue. I feel sad too but we have to rise above this as the Governor himself did.

Nkolika

---

From: olakassimmd via USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Sent: Sunday, June 29, 2014 7:28 PM

Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - SUNDAY MUSINGS: In Defence of Kayode Fayemi {Re: Fayose Is Constitutionally Ineligible To Run For Governor

Bolaji:

I read both versions of your timely defence of Gov. Fayemi of Ekiti state.

You answered most of the questions that have bothered me in the wake
of the Ekiti guber elections.

Gov Fayemi epitomizes many of the ideal characteristics any decent society would
wish in their political leaders. I hope he stays in politics and move on to serve
in Abuja.

With their hats aside, both Govs Fayemi and Mimiko remind me of Pa Awo in their
approach to politics and public service.

I commend Gov Fayemi for taking the high road that is less traveled by Nigerian
politicians following their defeat at the polls. He will not challenge the results of
the elections at the polls!

Most of my Ekiti friends in Toronto including those that I had dinner with last Friday
are silent participants on Nigerian cyberspace.  I have no doubt that they would have already
read your submissions and explanations on behalf of Gov Fayemi.
I have also forwarded the posts to their mail boxes should in case they missed them.

We are making some progress in democratic politics in Nigeria, even  though the pace
of the progress might be too slow for what we need.

Based on eyewitness reports the Ekii elections were free and fair.

I believe as you wrote that the:

"the price of the RICE was the PRIZE"

that was at stake and was worn cleanly and clearly
by Fayose, even though his candidacy for the elections might be contestable.

As Vince Modebelu has earlier stated the elections  are a triumph
of 'the need for immediate gratification--"Stomach Infrastructure"--over long lasting tangible
infrastructure that would provide better education and has the potential to provide jobs for
the people in the long run.

 I believe that the factors that tilted the results in favour
of Fayose are the following:

a) the power of incumbency of the office of the Presidency of Nigeria

 that was injected full throttle into the Ekiti elections.

GEJ didnot only visit Ekiti where he promised to help develop the state if he is
reelected in 2015, he also pumped significant amounts of
federal funds into the campaign for the PDP in Ekiti state. 
I have  used the terms
'federal funds' in the full knowledge that the PDP has no other source of funds for its coffers
other than from the federal purse, either directly or indirectly, legally or illegally.
Regardless of how the campaign funds were sourced, we must all admit that GEJ has
not done anything unusual in this regard. He was only following precedence!

I believe that some or most of  the missing (un remitted) billions of US dollars of NNPC funds
would have found their way into the coffers of the ruling party in anticipation of
any other gubernatorial elections before and in the general elections next year.

It would be extremely difficult for a performing governor like Fayemi who is averse to diverting
state funds into his re-election campaign to match the infusion of federal funds
into the Ekiti gubernatorial elections especially so late in the campaign. This is the difference
between how professional politician operates in contrast to a technocrat whose main mission
if to get the job of the people done.

A professional politican who is elected as a governor would divert most if not all of his
security votes into this campaign war chest in anticipation of the next campaign,
 whilst a technocrat- turned politician would more likely channel
the security votes into additional infrastucture projects and services that are badly needed by the
people.


b) the escalated security provisions that were marshaled to ensure peaceful elections in Ekiti state
also had the undesirable effect of disrupting the plans for the final  rally for the Fayemi
campaign. Some of the invited APC dignitaries including Gov Amechi of Rivers state were denied
 landing rights at the Ado Ekiti Airport
whilst others like Gov. Oshiomoble had his chattered helicopter impounded.

The Ekiti elections will go down in history as one in which the sitting President showed the
opposition parties who is the boss in town!

The good guys do not always win! I dough my hat to Fayemi!


Bye,

Ola

---- Original Message ----
From: 'Adeshina Afolayan' via USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
To: usaafricadialogue <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Sun, Jun 29, 2014 11:18 am
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - SUNDAY MUSINGS: In Defence of Kayode Fayemi {Re: Fayose Is Constitutionally Ineligible To Run For Governor

After this 'defence,' we return to the billion naira question sir: What went wrong? Fayemi said many things in those interviews. I especially like the town hall meetings and 'doing government with the people and not doing government for them' which is the essence of what we have been accusing him of (i.e. democratic elitism). But then why was he voted out in spite of all these? 

One alternative explanation would be a massive landslide rigging. Of course, rigging isn't a new feature of our electoral system, but 'landslide'?  And it isn't as if Fayemi didn't do anything. He claimed he completed 80% of his promised agenda. What is the 'inu' (stomach) the Ekiti people thought he has neglected build? 

In the final analysis, there is still a perceptual discrepancy between the people and the government. And that, for me, still remains a deficit for any government even if you completed 100% of your agenda. 

Adeshina Afolayan

Sent from Samsung Mobile

-------- Original message --------
From: Mobolaji Aluko <alukome@gmail.com>
Date:
To: africanherald@aol.com
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Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - SUNDAY MUSINGS: In Defence of Kayode Fayemi {Re: Fayose Is Constitutionally Ineligible To Run For Governor



________________________________________________________________

SUNDAY MUSINGS:  In Defence of Kayode Fayemi

by
Mobolaji Aluko, PhD
Alukome@gmail.com
________________________________________________________________

Sunday June 29, 2014

Ola Kassim

The version that went out earlier was PREMATURELY SENT,  My apologies.  The complete version - and it is somewhat substantially longer that the one sent earlier -  is below.  So please be patient and read to the end.
Your comments are in black, my comments are in red, and quotations are in blue.

Thanks.


Ola Kassim:

As you are fully aware, I am from Ekiti State, I am a close friend of Governor Kayode Fayemi - I took active part in his first election campaign, from beginning to the end, but I am not a member of the APC, or any political party in Nigeria for that matter, and was not active in the current campaign, for many obvious reasons not un-connected with my university servant duties...otherwise I would have. 
Some statements that you made below - or made on behalf of others - are quite interesting, but most are very debatable, and I would like to quickly take you up on them.

Please note that I am largely ignoring the ad hominem attacks of the usual gratuitous caterwaulers, who I can name if they insist on it.

For ease of reference, I have re-numbered a number of your concerns.

1.  "If as ably argued by Nebu that Fayose was constiyutionally ineligible to contest the Ekiti gubernatorial election due to his previous impeachment:
 
   (a)  why did INEC despite all the highly paid attorneys on its payroll approve his candidacy?
 
   (b)  why did the APC not contest his eligibility to run before the elections?"
 
1a.  For one, INEC is a strange contraption in a strange political Nigeria.  I believe that under Jega,  it has taken good positive strides, but  it has also determined that there are SO MANY issues wrong in both the pre-election and during-election issues in Nigeria, done by ALL political parties in Nigeria, that if it tried to do anything too controversial about them, it could be tied up in court, spin its wheels and spend money endlessly.  At the end of the day it would be accused by ALL parties of "descending into the political arena."  So it has left it to the political gladiators THEMSELVES to duke it out.

At this time of our political development, except for the MOST OBVIOUS VIOLATIONS - like an impeached candidate trying to run for election before the sanction period has expired - it is a wise decision.

  By not acting on this impeachment saga, I believe that by default it "descended into the political arena."

1b.  I am NOT in APC, but looking from outside, it was a Catch-22 situation.   I was stunned - and I am sure that APC too was stunned - that Fayose with all his political baggage was eventually chosen - one would say at quite some late hour, on March 22 primary (he won 462 out of 477 votes)   for a June 21 election, with consensus candidate Gbenga Aluko (my brother) , chosen by the aggrieved candidates on March 30 finally jettisoned  in mid-April or so.  I will quote PDP Chairman Muazu after Fayose's victory, and leave it at that:

QUOTE

PDP National Chairman Adamu Mu'azu said the governor-elect of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, would never have been the party's flag bearer if "the Nigerian factor" were to come in. He said the president gave him the free hand to get a reliable gubernatorial candidate for Ekiti, adding that without Jonathan's support, encouragement and focus, the party would not have been celebrating. ,,,,, "Fayose, ordinarily, if the Nigerian factor comes in, will never have been our candidate, but you and I know that even after he emerged, some sorts of groups that came to you to report me that I've made the wrong choice. More often, when they come to the Villa, Mr. President will insist that I must be there. I've seen the same people, I've appealed to them. Mr. President will still insist for me to hear and listen. At the end of the day, the truth has prevailed with the support of Mr. President," Muazu said.

UNQUOTE 

Finally, a case is in court, and will be heard tomorrow:

QUOTE

Ekiti guber: Court refuses to stop
Fayose from contesting
Posted by: The Citizen  in Other News June 17, 2014

Efforts to stop former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, from contesting the governorship election on Saturday suffered a setback yesterday as an Ado-Ekiti High Court on Monday adjourned the case till June 30, a week after the election would have been held.   

A socio-political group, known as E-11, which has the likes of Governor Kayode Fayemi predecessor, Chief Segun Oni and Senator Babafemi Ojudu as its members, along with the Citizen Party, had sued Fayose over his alleged ineligibility to contest the election.

Among others, the claimants are asking the court to determine whether Fayose was qualified to contest by virtue of his impeachment in 2006 and whether he was right to have allegedly given certain false information to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) about his state of integrity.  Both the INEC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were joined in the suit.

The claimants' lead counsel, Mr Norrison Quakers (SAN) had pleaded for accelerated hearing of the case, because the election in which the eligibility of the defendant was in question, would be held this Saturday.

According to him, the court was empowered under the Electoral Act to proceed with the case so that his clients would be deemed to have gotten justice.      Norrison submitted that the case was ripe for accelerated hearing because the defendants had been served notice since Monday, after the court ruled that Fayose be served through substituted means.   The counsel to the respondent, Ahmed Raji (SAN) in a counter argument, said the case before the court was not ripe enough for hearing since there was no written application filed to him.      He asked the court to give him seven days to respond to the filed affidavit which would be given him by the claimant.     Raji said the claimant cannot argue the case orally because there was no written application to that effect.    He consequently urged the court to neither treat the matter as an urgent one nor  rush the proceeding as demanded by the claimant.     He said the case could still continue even if his client eventually wins the Saturday election that was in contention. Justice Olusegun Ogunyemi in his ruling, said the rule of law must be obeyed in the case, concerning the issue of oral or written affidavit, citing section 39 of the Constitution.     He agreed that there must be a written affidavit filed by the claimant and given to the respondent.  
The Judge adjourned the case till June 30 for hearing

UNQUOTE

Sometimes, the court system in Nigeria uses the adjournment process either to make issues moot, or to frustrate the litigant - or both.  It is often the case of the accused killing his parents and claiming leniency or acquittal because he is an orphan.

We shall see what it is in this case, which has merit.  I believe that it should be pursued, but I do not wish or expect Dr. Kayode Fayemi to gain from it.  I would not support him gaining from it.....he has done his best, and he should leave the rest.  He still has contributions to make to Ekiti State outside of governorship.

2,  "I agree with Stevek (Steve Kueberuwa) that APC should drop any idea of challenging the results of the  Ekiti elections and the issue of Fayose's candidacy in court."

I also agree with you.  Governor Fayemi should not challenge anything as you have stated, but nothing stops other parties from challenging.  I have so advised.  You will remember how long he fought to get his original mandate....from the outside...2007 to 2010.  He should not have to go through that ordeal again - from the inside.  It is not good for him, for his family, or for us his friends.

3.  However, I disagree with SteveK's comments about Fayemi. I do not see Fayemi as a hustler. I believe that he is more a technocrat than he s a professional politician. I believe that this was the main reason for his defeat in Ekiti despite having performed well within the means
of at his disposal.

It is a crassly idiotic statement to call Fayemi a hustler, especially by a person who probably has NEVER met him face to face. And Fayemi won his first election to be governor as a technocrat/activist foraying into politics, not as a professional politician, so how can he lose it for that same reason?  Who knows may be lost it because he became TOO MUCH of a "professional politician", listening too much to some "professional politicians?"

Here is Fayemi talking about himself and his politics recently:

QUOTE

http://www.channelstv.com/2014/01/11/ive-delivered-at-least-80-percent-of-my-promises-fayemi/

I've Delivered At Least 80 Percent Of My Promises- Fayemi

The Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi on Saturday assessed his performance in office which he scored at 80 percent, adding that he has delivered on every category of promise he made in his inaugural speech and on the "Road Map To Ekiti Recovery: The 8 Point Agenda."
 
Speaking on Channels Television's breakfast programme, Sunrise, Governor Fayemi who had secured his mandate as governor after several court cases said the struggle was worth it as "any opportunity to serve the people is a worthy opportunity."
According to him, "public service is the highest form of duty that any citizen can render to society."
He said that "In spite of the difficulties on the journey to power, I have found it immensely worthy of the struggle we waged in order to get here."

Governor Fayemi who recalled his days of activism said the "the opportunity that being in the seat of power offers to fundamentally affect lives is something you can't really get outside of being in public service" and that his involvement in politics has afforded him the power to affect lives.

"I've been an activist all my life. I still consider myself an activist. My politics is an extension of my activism," he said, adding that things he was not able to do as an activist became easy as governor. He highlighted some of his achievements in office including free education up till secondary level, free health care for the vulnerable segment of our population, the first social security benefit scheme for the elderly.

He challenged critics to examine his inaugural speech to critique the promises he had made against his 3 years and 3 months stay in office.
"I am delivering on all the promises I made. I have not delivered completely on all of them but on each and every one of those promises, known as Road Map To Ekiti Recovery: The 8 Point Agenda, you will find that they are at least 80 percent completed."

"I've been able to affect lives. I've been able to deliver on our socio-democratic agenda as a political party that believes in pulling up the weak and vulnerable in society. That, without a doubt, is what I've done in office."

Despite the fact that Ekiti is renowned for breeding many top scholars in the nation, critics have said its current state of education has reduced it to the bottom five. However, Governor Fayemi said the claim is not fact but opinion. He stressed that "Ekiti today has had one of the most meteoric rise in terms of performance in public examination."

He further noted that: "When I became governor in 2010, Ekiti had a 20 percent pass rate in public examination. 20 percent of those who sat for WASCE had 5 credits including English and Maths" but the latest results in the 2013 edition of the same examination revealed that the percentage had moved to 70 percent."
"Christ School in Ado Ekiti moved from nine percent to 99 percent."

Asked the strategies implemented to achieve the increase, he said a task force chaired by late Professor Sam Aluko had been commissioned to help improve the quality of education.
Also, the infrastructure had been rehabilitated to create conducive learning environment. 183 secondary schools and 856 primary schools were renovated and refurbished. The system of administration was also changed which ensured that one principal was in charge of a school as opposed to the former system which had "one principal for junior secondary school (boys), junior secondary school (girls), senior secondary school (boys) and senior secondary school (girls)."

UNQUOTE
 
4.  The Ekitis have once again taught all Nigerians a lesson. Politicians should never take the people for granted.
 
Quite frankly, nobody was taken for granted, and no new lessons are to be learnt, except that EMPLOYMENT - which is REALLY what "stomach infrastructure" is about - is always uppermost in many people's minds.
 And if you can convince us that there are enough jobs YET from all your many programs, spare us some raw cash and raw rice (food) in the interim!  The Price of Rice was the Prize.

Just as an Elderly Peoples welfare cash scheme was introduced, a Work-Fare Cash Scheme for Youths - aka dole in addition to the YCAD scheme - could have been introduced.  But it had to be sustainable....

5.  No one amongst my friends and acquitances from Ekiti in the Toronto area has expressed any surprise at the results of the Ekiti guber elections. They all said they saw it coming and that the results fully reflected the will of their relatives and friends in Ekiti state and across Nigeria.  Even though they do not like Fayose, they personally -and their relatives in Nigeria found the Fayemi administration too distant and too aloof for their taste. I was surprised but at the same time not surprised at these comments. I was not suprrised because the Ekiti are generally forthright and steadfast in stating and holding their positions on the issues of the day. I was surprised because I didnot see it coming.

I call this 20/20 Monday quarter-backing.  Did they suddenly become your "friends an acquaintances" AFTER the election, and that is why you could not have this conversation to be better enlightened BEFORE the election?

6.  Like most Nigerians abroad, I had thought things were going on quite well under Gov. Fayemi in Ekiti state.

Any objective person would tell you that "things were qoing quit well"  - except for those who genuinely wanted more pavement of stomach infrastructure, both of themselves and of their neighbors.

The litany of complaints (true or false) against the outgoing Fayemi administration that I heard yesterday from my Ekiti friends during dinner at one our local Bukas---The Ola Restaurant include the following:
 
7) Even though Fayemi is a decent and well educated man, he lacked the 'personal touch'. he was too distant from his people.
 
Clearly decent and well-educated,  I do not agree that he lacked "personal touch" - not with the Elderly, or women, or youths.    People forget that he got onto the Governorship in October 2011 after hard-fought election re-run battles, and once you get on there, you have to re-evaluate ALL the work of a kicked-out administration that had been there illegally for almost three years.  Then you have to re-establish your agenda, and before you know it, 2013 is upon you, and Election 2014 is around the corner.

Some quotes on his MANY MANY town meetings:

QUOTE
http://ekitistate.gov.ng/2013/11/citizens-needs-not-politics-necessitated-our-town-hall-meetings-fayemi/

Citizens' Needs, Not Politics, Necessitated Our Town Hall Meetings – Fayemi

Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi (Middle), being welcome into the Ikere-Ekiti, during the tour of the Local Government.

Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi has explained that the 2013 town hall meetings he is holding in communities across the state is not politically motivated. He said it was borne out of the respect his administration has for the opinions of the masses who "put me in government".

The Governor gave this explanation on Monday during the second day of the meetings in 13 communities in Ikole Local Government Area, that his pact with the people was to "do government with them and not do government to them", hence they must have inputs in how they are governed.

Dr. Fayemi added that it was inappropriate for a governor to just sit down in the state capital and decide what he felt the people needed when the people's needs actually differ from the governor's perception.

This, he said, is the reason for the annual town hall meetings to enable the communities have direct input in the budget preparations so that the budget would in reality be owned by the people and serve their needs.

At Odo-Ayedun where the community requested more fund to complete the perimeter fencing of the Oba's palace, the Governor said that the grants-in-aid programme of the administration was just to lend a helping hand to the communities in carrying out their self-help projects, and not a way to usurp the functions of the State Social and Community-based Development Agency which is empowered by the World Bank and State Government to help communities with their priority projects.

He urged political appointees from each community to return home and support their community development projects; saying that they are appointed into government as representatives of their communities.
Also reacting on some communities' plea for deployment of teachers to schools in the affected communities, the Governor warned teachers against influencing postings to rural areas but urged them to accept the postings and benefit from the Rural teacher posting allowance which is paid to teachers serving in rural areas.

Some of the affected communities had mentioned that they did not have more than one teacher, the headmistress and her assistant in a whole school, while some stated that corps members are the ones teaching the pupils as a result of inadequate teaching staff.
Fayemi however assured that the situation would be urgently visited to enable the schools have more teaching staff.

On the construction of Oke-Ako – Itapaji road, the Governor asserted that the road would be constructed not just because it is the request made by the communities but because government would soon start an irrigation project at Itapaji Dam and this would open the communities to more traffic as agro-businesses would change the face of the communities.
He assured them that Itapaji water booster station would also get special attention in next year's budget as government has now placed priority attention on the water sector.

Governor Fayemi also urged unemployed youths in the area to exploit the opportunities that the agrarian nature of the local government area offers by engaging in agro-businesses so that the fertile land would not lay fallow.

All the communities trooped out to welcome the Governor and tabled before him their requests as well as showered encomium on him for the development that their communities have witnessed under his administration.

Speaking for Iyemero Community, Mr Moses Osasona said the community was once described as a "remote area"  and suffered infrastructural neglect by successive governments but the administration of Dr Fayemi has brought it to a new dawn .

"Iyemero Ekiti people had suffered infrastructural neglect by successive governments but you stood up and ensured that Iyemero people are now enjoying infrastructural development. On this occasion, we cannot but make specific reference to those things that the Fayemi's three year tenure has given birth to in Iyemero which include electrification of Iyemero powered by a brand new transformer, which the people of the community have been denied for almost a thousand years", he said.

The Governor inaugurated seven projects during the meetings.
These included a Police Station at Ijesa-isu, Community information centre at Ilamo, a Health Centre at Otunja, blocks of classrooms and examination hall at Odo Oro, and the installation of a 200KVA transformer at Oke Ayedun, among others.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

http://ekitistate.gov.ng/2013/11/participatory-governance-fayemi-holds-town-hall-meetings-inspects-community-projects/

Participatory Governance: Fayemi Holds Town Hall Meetings, Inspects Community Projects

L-R: Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi; Olomuo of Omuo-Ekiti, Oba Noah Omonigbeyin; and his wife, Olori Oluwayemisi (Sitting), during this Year's Town, Villages and Communities meeting, ahead of Budget 2014, in Omuo-Ekiti.

In furtherance of the commitment of his administration to participatory governance, Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, on Friday kick started his annual tour of Ekiti communities/ town hall meetings ahead of the 2014 budget preparations with many of the communities erupting in jubilation as they welcome the Governor to their communities.

Unlike the previous editions of the town hall meetings where all communities in each of the 16 local government areas of the state would converge on a location at the LGA headquarter, to make their needs known to the Governor, the current edition is held in each community of the council.

The Governor had visited and held town hall meetings in about ten communities in the first day of the tour. These include : Ilasa, Ikun Oba, Araromi Oke, Eda Ile, Kota Ekiti, Omuo Oke, Ayegunle-Ahan, Isinbode and Omuo Ekiti. The leaders of the communities also presented their areas of priorities to the Governor for inclusion in the 2014 appropriation.

Speaking during the meetings at Ekiti East Local Government, Governor Fayemi said the meeting was imperative so as to feel the people's impulse, get their inputs for the preparation of the 2014 appropriation bill and inspect community projects.
Fayemi who inaugurated some  projects including a civic centre, a block of health workers quarters and a community viewing centre at Ikun-Oba, Eda Ile and Araromi-Oke respectively, also inspected some self-help projects for which the State Government recently disbursed N600 million as grants-in-aid to the communities.

The Governor, while responding to the various requests of the communities which ranged from autonomy to other basic amenities, assured them of the inclusion of many of the requests in the budgeting process.

On the request made by Araromi-Ugbeshi for autonomy, Fayemi urged the leaders of the community to follow due process by approaching the Council of Traditional Rulers in the State, a body which is empowered to make recommendations to the Governor before autonomy is granted.

At Omuo Oke, the Governor explained that the delay in the construction of the trailer park was not unconnected to the ongoing review of the design for the park but assured that the contractor handling the project would soon return there for a befitting job.

He reiterated his commitment to reconstructing boundary roads leading to the state so as to boost the socio-economic life of the people.
Some of the community leaders who spoke to newsmen commended the Governor for organizing the town hall meetings, which they claimed had brought a human face to governance in Ekiti State. Hey claimed that the town hall meetings was a reflection of how much importance Governor Fayemi places on the opinion of the citizens.

They expressed their appreciation for the sincerity demonstrated by the government adding that those things they asked for in the 2012 edition of the Town hall meetings had already being completed or about being completed.

The Governor was accompanied by members of his cabinet who took turn to take note of requests that are related to their respective ministries.
_______________________________________________________

UNQUOTE


8) Even though Fayemi built roads and some other infrastructure, he was using  foreign (Syrian) contractors --through Tinubu in Lagos and not local ones. In short they accused Fayemi of outsoucing the governance of Ekiti state from Tinubu in Lagos. This is probably false!

9) Building, ownership and operation of a University in Ghana by Gov. Fayemi's wife; according to one of my Ekiti friends--the people couldn't see any difference between whether  it is owned by Fayemi or his wife.

Both of these assertion are false.
 It is best to repeat Chief of Staff Yemi Adaramodu's interview:

QUOTE

http://www.oranmiyan.org/2014/05/18/adaramodu-factors-will-earn-fayemi-re-election/

How will you react to the allegation that most of the contracts awarded by this government were given to foreign contractors thereby encouraging capital flight?

The truth is that 80 per cent of contractors doing the roads were met working in the state by this government. Dotmot was met in Ekiti; he is a local contractor. ROSCO was met here; ICF was met in Ekiti State. The renovation of all secondary schools and General Hospitals was done by local contractors. Even in some few projects being handled by light skinned people, the curb workers there are our people. Because the governor insisted on local content, all their workers, artisans and supervisors are from this state. This is a state policy strictly adhered to.

When people want to play politics, they can say anything but facts are sacred. Ekiti people are however wiser and they know what is going on. No matter what these political marauders are saying, people cannot be fooled. Anywhere Mr Governor goes, people acknowledged what he has done in their communities and pray for him to continue the good work. Even at that, you cannot expect the crash politicians who have nothing to say to just go and sleep, they must say something and be ready to criticise.
We always say that Ekiti election should be on issues but they will not do that. They said Mr Governor has built a university in Ghana, but we challenge them to give us the address of the university, the name of the Vice Chancellor, when did they do their matriculation or graduation, which courses they offer, bring a student from the university and let him confirm. We all know that many lies will be flying especially when they cannot provide a better alternative. But Ekiti people know that we have never had it so good like this. The rhythm is so pleasant to them and they do not want it to stop.

UNQUOTE
 
10) He closed down poultry projects that former Gov. Oni had started sending many newly employed graduates onto the unemployment lines.

It was Fayose who had poultry projects, while Oni had cow projects.  Fayemi had human projects - but a few poultry projects of his own!


QUOTE
http://ekitistate.gov.ng/2014/01/why-we-cant-revive-fayoses-poultry-farms-fayemi/

Why We Can't Revive Fayose's Poultry Farms – Fayemi

Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi (R); with Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr. Babajide Arowosafe, during an inspection of one of the State's Poultry hubs, an initiative of the Youth in Commercial Agricultural Development (YCAD) Programme, at Ikere-Ekiti.

Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi has said that the poultry farms initiated and abandoned by one of his predecessors, Mr Ayo Fayose, could not be revived because the poultry project was never designed to succeed.

The Governor disclosed this to newsmen on Monday shortly after an inspection of a poultry farm and processing plant established by his administration in Ikere and Ado Ekiti respectively. He said the poultry project of the Fayose-led government was not designed as a viable project.
This, he said, explained the reason the present government has not bothered to resuscitate it like it did some other moribund projects and industries established by past administrations.

Governor Fayemi, who was conducted round the poultry farm and processing plant by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr jide Arowosafe, stated that Fayose's poultry project which gulped more than a billion naira also did not have a sustainability plan, adding that there was no equipment in the processing plant purportedly put in place by the erstwhile governor in his country home, Afao Ekiti.
He stressed that his administration had put in place a processing plant in Ado- Ekiti for farmers under the Youth in Commercial Agriculture Development (YCAD) with less than N20 million while the Fayose-led government merely paid lip service to the people of the State having expended a whopping sum on a similar project that never took off.
It is recalled that Fayose is still being tried by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations of  misappropriation of the funds meant for the poultry project.

Governor Fayemi said: "This government is serious about agriculture and we are not playing lip service to it. The Fayose farms are not even revivable if you look at them. The Benin-Owena poultry farm that we have revived, you can see the quality of the building. We put less than N50 million to revive those huge poultry units along Ikere-Ise road. If you compare it to those wooden sheds that are called poultry farms by the previous administration, they have already collapsed; they have all crashed because they were not meant to last in the first instance. It is obvious why we are confident that, placed side by side the antecedent of our predecessor, the difference is like 7up.

"The processing plant is put in place for YCAD with less than N20 million, what we have done for our YCAD farmers  with less than 20 million is what was done in this state a few years ago with over a billion naira that is still the subject of investigation now. The project never saw the light of the day. There was no processing plant, there was just a building put up in Afao that was supposed to lead to the processing plant but there was no equipment there. If you go to all the units in the 16 local government areas you will know what I am talking about", he said.

While reiterated the commitment of his administration to making Ekiti the food basket of the South-West, the Governor stated that the processing plant has the capacity to process no fewer than 2,000 birds on daily basis as Ekiti is poised to supply the State and neighbouring states with fresh frozen chicken.
Fayemi said he was confident that this will turn around the fortune of poultry farmers in the State and improve on government's efforts in the sector in the last three years.
"What you see here is a  processing plant that can daily treat 2,000 birds right from scalding to feathering  and sending it to the market. The poultry will feed the processing plant. You have seen the cold room and the various processing units before it gets to the market through the Fountain Markets.", he added.

Also speaking, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr Arowosafe said the processing plant has started a test-run but would in the coming week begin full production.

The Commissioner explained that the state has 27,000 birds and is in talks with business organizations from different parts of the country to market the product while this will also reduce the stress of Ekiti consumers in travelling to other states to get frozen chicken.

UNQUOTE
 
11) Gov. Fayemi's recent problems with teachers in the state over their salaries.

Paying salaries are a problem nationwide, but his Administration had a problem with teachers not wanting to take Assessment tests.  I agree that it should have been introduced differently, and  I voiced so then.

QUOTE

http://www.punchng.com/news/ekiti-teachers-shun-fayemis-test/

Ekiti teachers shun Fayemi's test
JUNE 5, 2012 BY FEMI MAKINDE, ADO-EKITI

Teachers in public primary and secondary schools in Ekiti State on Monday shunned the Teachers' Development Need Assessment – a test organised by the state government.
The teachers refused to turn out at the 39 designated centres for the compulsory  test which had generated a lot of controversies between the government and the over 16,000 teachers in the state.

Some of the teachers said they were told that the examination centres had been laced with charms.  and that anybody who sat for the test would die a mysterious death.

Our correspondent, who visited some of the examination centres, observed that the teachers obeyed the directive of the Nigeria Union of Teachers  to proceed on strike instead of writing the TDNA.

Although some of the officials to conduct the  test and security operatives were seen at the examination venues, the teachers did not show up.

The Area Education Officer of Ado-Ekiti Local Government, Mr. Gabriel Ojo, who was deployed to Ola Oluwa Muslim Grammar School, Ado-Ekiti to conduct the test told journalists that teachers did not come for the TDNA.

He said the "supervisors and the invigilators and the question papers were ready but the teachers refused to obey government's directive to sit for the test."

Ojo said the government had organised a seminar for the teachers between 9am and 12 noon before the test would be administered.

The Education Secretary at Ikere, Mrs.  Taiwo Ajayi, who was drafted to African Church  Comprehensive High School, said just one teacher turned up for the test but went back.

Some of the resource persons, who were billed to lecture the teachers before the test, were seen at St. Louis Grammar School, Ikere.
The leader of the group from the Faculty of Education at the   Awolowo University, Prof. Bayode Popoola, said his team was in the state to lecture the teachers but nobody had shown up for the test.
He said other teams came from the University of Ibadan and the Ekiti State University.

UNQUOTE

12) Even though hindsight always has the benefit of 20:20 vision, I am surprised no one close to the Fayemi government was atuned to the above alleged complaints at least soon enough that some corrective actions could have been taken!

As you can read above, some of the complaints were non-complaints, while those that were there were people aware of them.  Whether corrective actions were ENOUGH, or COULD HAVE BEEN ENOUGH is another matter entirely.

But the fat person - male or female - has not sung yet.

And there you have it.


Bolaji Aluko

___________________________________________________________________

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