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Fayemi’s first days: Expectations at town hall meetings

By Muyiwa Adeyemi (Head South West Bureau)
21 October 2018   |   3:38 am
The swearing-in of Dr. Kayode Fayemi as Ekiti State governor last Tuesday did not only signal a new dawn, but has once more brought seriousness into governance of the state.

Kayode Fayemi

The swearing-in of Dr. Kayode Fayemi as Ekiti State governor last Tuesday did not only signal a new dawn, but has once more brought seriousness into governance of the state.Indeed, he did not leave anybody in doubt that he was in a hurry to cover lost ground and re-direct the economy and social lives of the people.

Unlike many governors that spend days studying files and taking briefings from civil servants immediately after assuming office, Fayemi started his first days in office by holding town hall meetings at the state’s three senatorial districts.He arrived Ido-Ekiti last Wednesday by 10am for the meeting, which surprised many. Several civil servants and members of his team that thought the governor wouldn’t arrive until 12pm for the meeting scheduled for 10am were shocked that he had finished the meeting before they got to the venue.

The ordinary people, who expressed their happiness at Fayemi’s return, appealed to him to re-start some of his projects that impacted directly residents’ lives. They lamented how the last administration skewed developmental projects in favour of only two local councils in the state.

Aged people who spoke to The Guardian, said they were happy with Fayemi’s inauguration speech, which mentioned that he would revisit social security scheme for the elderly and vulnerable, where they were paid N5, 000 stipend monthly, but which Fayose cancelled. However, they wanted him to be specific on when the programme would commence. They couldn’t wait to start receiving the money.

The youths earlier engaged in the Youth in Commercial Agriculture scheme during Fayemi’s first term also wanted the programme resuscitated, just as hundreds of youths that were engaged in Ekiti State Traffic Management Authority (EKSTMA), sacked by Fayose wanted to resume duty without further delay.

The civil servants and teachers being owed seven months salary and pensioners that had not been paid for over a year also pleaded with Fayemi to consider their plight.Aside this, there was outright rejection of past administration’s policy that imposed education levy on pupils of not just public schools, but also private schools.

There was also an outcry against the neglect of Ire Burn Bricks factory and Ikogosi tourist Centre.The demands and expectations of people at Ido, Ikere and Aramoko, where the town meetings were held were not different. It was a clarion call on the new governor to fix the rot and make Ekiti people proud again.

Fayemi said he was prepared for the job and had ready answers to all their demands. Without mincing words, he scrapped the education levy being paid by all students in the state, as he announced that education would henceforth be free in all public primary and secondary schools across the state. The cry of joy that rented the air was deafening.He wondered why underage children should be made to pay levies, when their parents were not only paying taxes, but were also owed several months salaries.

He also announced that the state would commence school feeding programme in all public schools by December this year.Speaking in Ekiti dialect at Ikere, Fayemi said: “When we were in government before 2010 and 2014, we ran free education until the last administration came and said school children should pay tax. By God’s grace, by December this year, we are going to introduce school feeding from primary to Junior Secondary as part of the benefits we will get from the Federal Government.”

While assuring the elated people that social security scheme would soon commence, he also explained that civil servants and pensioners would soon have reasons to smile.Interestingly, his inauguration speech has become a reference point that will be used to assess him in the next few years. Some shrewd Business Centres were seen reproducing it and selling it to the people.

In it, Fayemi said: “As much as today marks the beginning of a new phase in our history as a people, it also signals the end of an era, or more appropriately, the end of an error. Without doubt, Ekiti has been through a horrible wilderness experience in the past four years. Our reputation as a people has been sullied and we have become the butt of jokes due to the crass ineptitude, loquacious ignorance, and ravenous corruption masquerading as governance in our state during the past administration.

“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 N170bn, with commitments to innumerable white elephant projects, an average of eight months salaries owed across government entities, and many state assets unaccounted for.”

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