[size=18pt] 'I Will Run A Welfarist Government' [/size]

• Education, Health Free

• Social Security For Senior Citizens

FOR the fourth time since 1999, another elected chief executive took over the reins of power in Ekiti State on Saturday.

Dr. Segun Fayemi of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) was sworn in amid pomp and ceremony, watched by a huge crowd of Ekiti people, party followers, stalwarts and political associates including some former and incumbent governors from within and outside the state.

Some of the dignitaries at the event, which took place at the Palm Spring Housing Estate Area on the University of Ado Ekiti (UNAD) road, included Governors Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, Adams Oshiomhole (Edo) and Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo).

The former governors were Ahmed Bola Tinubu (Lagos), Niyi Adebayo and Ayo Fayose (Ekiti), Olusegun Osoba (Ogun), Lam Adesina (Oyo), Bamidele Olumilua (old Ondo) and Chris Ngige (Anambra).

Also at the centre of attraction was the Chairman of the ACN, Chief Bisi Akande, former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu and chieftains of the pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere, led by Chief Ayo Fasanmi and Chief Ayo Opadokun.

Other personalities included Mr. Femi Falana, Mr. Odia Ofeimun, Senator Ibikunle Amosu, Dr. James Odunmbaku, Alhaji Rauf Aregbesola, Chief Femi Lanlehin, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), Alhaji Moshood Adeoti and a business mogul, Mr. Toye Ariyo.

Fayemi took over from the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Segun Oni, whose purported election was nullified by the Appeal Court on Friday. Thus, Oni had spent three and half years of a four-year tenure on a false mandate.

However, Fayemi, apparently wanting to close the page on unlawful usurpation of his victory at the 2007 polls, called for reconciliation among Ekiti people.

At a carnival-like and colourful ceremony, the new governor took the oath of office as eleventh helmsman of the 14 year-old state.

Thousands of people, who witnessed the event, stood under the scorching sun, dancing to herald a new democratic dispensation in the state.

The five-minute oath taking was performed by the Acting Chief Judge of the State, Justice Silas Bamidele Oyewole, after he had sworn-in Fayemi’s deputy, Mrs. Funmilayo Olayinka.

Promising to pursue his eight-point Agenda to ensure that sanity and long-awaited respite is restored to the state, Fayemi promised to strengthen his hold on government, so that the dividend of democracy could be brought to the doorsteps of the people in due course.

He promised to build bridges across all party divides and ensure that he tackles the division occasioned by imposition of a candidate that never won election in the state by ensuring that election riggers never have their way in any electioneering process.

His words: “My long-suffering compatriots, the new dawn is here. I had to fight for these long years through a legal rigmarole, not because I want to become a governor, but because I want to free the people of the state from the claws of election riggers, who are bent on making the state ungovernable, and address the judicial manipulation that was witnessed in the course of the struggle.

“I have always believed that justice will prevail in the end and that the people’s choice and their voices shall be respected through legal means, but these cannot be achieved by allowing electoral robbery to be committed without any challenge from the people.”

And to assure the people that the new dawn has, indeed, begun in the state, Governor Fayemi declared free education in all public primary and secondary schools and promised to review school fees in state-owned tertiary institutions.

[size=13pt]“I will ensure that you, the good people of Ekiti State, own this government. I will do this by re-designing my agenda through the village square and town hall meetings I promised: democratising governance, modernising agriculture; improving infrastructure; promoting free and qualitative education towards the development of functional human capital; providing free health and social security to the disadvantaged sectors of our state; ensuring industrial development, tourism and sustainable development and promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment.”[/size]

While promising to run a transparent government, Fayemi said there would be employment opportunities and youth development to reduce crime rate in the state.

According to him: “Women would never suffer discrimination as they would become vital indices in our development calculation. Child mortality rates shall be reduced and eventually stamped out.”

To the delight of Ekiti people, Fayemi, who was clad in white agbada lace and a green cap, also declared free healthcare services in all public hospitals in the state to children up to five years of age, pregnant women, the physically impaired and senior citizens.

Besides, he said his government would soon introduce a social security scheme for all “our senior citizens that are 65 and above.”

On the past administration, which, he labelled as stealing the mandate of the people and plundered the economy of the state, Governor Fayemi said:

“Without a doubt, we will undertake a comprehensive review of what had transpired in the last 42 months, as should be expected, but this is with a view to strengthening the fabric of democratic governance and correcting the ills of the past, not an exercise in witch-hunting.”

“During this period, the civil service, which is the key implementing agent of government, had its flag flown at half mast. The fire of vibrant workforce was extinguished and artisans were in sackcloth, mourning the arrested opportunities of Ekiti State.”

To address what he considered as injustice in the civil service, he said, all Permanent Secretaries should revert to their position as at May 28, last year while he suspended “all irregular civil service appointments.”

He, however, saluted the courage of those that were maimed and killed during the re-run governorship election in Ido/Osi and Oye Local

Governments, saying the state would always remember them as one of the few compatriots that fought just like the Ekiti forefathers during the Kiriji War of 1877 to 1886.

In his goodwill message, Governor Oshiomhole said Fayemi’s victory was not only for the state, but also for all Nigerians and to sound a note of warning to those holding “stolen mandate” that the time of reckoning has come.

He congratulated the people of Ekiti for passing through the tortuous long journey to victory and said never again in history that Nigerians would allow somebody with a stolen mandate to rule for over three years.

Oshiomhole also emphasised his campaign of “one man, one vote,” which, he said, would eradicate rigging and electoral malpractice in the country.


http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=26273:i-will-run-a-welfarist-government&catid=1:national&Itemid=559#comments

Daddy Fayemi, are you already biting more than you can chew?

Remeber, it's Ekiti ppl you're promising. . . . we wont take less, so you better be ready to check those points box in the future.

Promising to pursue his eight-point Agenda to ensure that sanity and long-awaited respite is restored to the

that is the problem with our pseudo politicians. y 8 point agenda.
just give the pple good govt. we all know how yara dull 7 points agenda ended.

ode remo:


that is the problem with our pseudo politicians. y 8 point agenda.
just give the pple good govt. we all know how yara dull 7 points agenda ended.

lol. because ppl need straws to grab on for the time being, they need to hear sth.

The good news is he at least has a world view or ideology which he has proclaimed.

But the bad news is in a country where you have more people out of work than those in work welfare state will simply not be sustainable. Job and Wealth creation should be the focus first.

@ Ileke-Idi

When are we going for coffee/tea together? Capuccino is my favourite what's yours

lol kidding, how have u been? been a while I looked for your trouble lol.

my fervent prayer is that acn capture ogun, oyo,and try hard to get 2/5 more in the coming election and then back it up with unflinching good governance as experienced in lagos, edo.
i think the end is coming for the pdp.and its looters.
am not saying acn as a party is made up of saints but we need to xp a change.

i think it's high time i visit my home state to see where i can get involve too. its our time!

@ileke-idi
ora ooo. EKITI agbeaa ooooo!

omolayo1:

i think it's high time i visit my home state to see where i can get involve too. its our time!

@ileke-idi
ora ooo. EKITI agbeaa ooooo!

In okun o.

Yes o, it is our time. If you do intend on getting involved, plz come back and let me know how I can help too.

mikeansy:

@ Ileke-Idi

When are we going for coffee/tea together? Capuccino is my favourite what's yours

lol kidding, how have u been? been a while I looked for your trouble lol.

lol

mo wa daada. Iw nko?

But the bad news is in a country where you have more people out of work than those in work welfare state will simply not be sustainable. Job and Wealth creation should be the focus first.

That's why I think he's biting more than he can chew. oh Fayemi!

Yes o, it is our time. If you do intend on getting involved, plz come back and let me know how I can help too

let's see where the ball is rolling to. together we can make it,all hands on desk.

omolayo1:

let's see where the ball is rolling to. together we can make it,all hands on desk.

And where is the desk?
My gosh, I wish I was home, so that I can do something. This is just all talks jare.

And where is the desk?
My gosh, I wish I was home, so that I can do something. This is just all talks jare.

if you can not beat them you join them,that's just the politics my friends. you can make impact when you are there but you only make noise when you are not among.

Not all about talking,is about action. aisinbe liebawon dasi. lets go there!!!!!

lolol. oga o. emi o fe oru politics yen jare

if you go into , you would find fayemi written in it. is funny he went back to nigeria and he is governor .life is funny, he would not remember us again. He is a big man now. congrat sha. He use to be on this side of the river.

If you look at the satellite pictures. He would have serious problem in development of Ekiti state. There are too many mountain there , and no money to build road. same thing in ondo state.

Becommrich, you are NOT okay.

I okay. I am passing on information to help them in nigeria.

becomrich: link=topic=533513.msg6958909#msg6958909 date=1287335501]
if you go into , you would find fayemi written in it. is funny he went back to nigeria and he is governor .life is funny, he would not remember us again. He is a big man now. congrat sha. He use to be on this side of the river.

If you look at the satellite pictures. He would have serious problem in development of Ekiti state. There are too many mountain there , and no money to build road. same thing in ondo state.

Too many mountains is Ekiti is equal to problems of development, you know, if you refine your theory more, you may get a Nobel price down the road! And Fayemi may also reward you handsomely for giving him a ready made excuse not to do anything.

Very Nice speech by Governor Fayemi.

As an Indigene of Ekiti, I think the only hope for Ekiti development is to bring in outside investment.

All these promises cannot be kept on the Federal Government allocation to Ekiti.

Governor Fayemi's government will be unable to provide all these services to the people of Ekiti because the funds for these are nowhere to be found.

Once salaries are paid, the amount left is barely enough to meet the demands of the people.

Ekiti has almost no industries, no manufacturing base, and very few businesses. The government can only employ a limited amount of people. The rest would have to fall on the private sector. That sector is almost non-existent in Ekiti.

Amongst some of us Ado-Ekiti people, we tell ourselves that Ado-Ekiti (The capital of Ekiti State) has 3 groups of businesses - Banks, Hotels, and Petrol Stations.

The burden on Dr. Fayemi now is a massive one. He has to stimulate the private sector, draw-in outside investment, and streamline the public / government parastatals.

I honestly would not want to be in his position because there is very little to work with.

In all honesty, I do not really think Ekiti is viable on its own right now as a State. We were not ready to become a state when we were removed from Ondo. Ekiti is entirely dependent on the Federal government's monthly allocation. Nonetheless, what is done is done. Time for us to be solution-oriented.

I hope Dr. Fayemi is able to work some magic and change this prognosis.

On a side note, I think projects like the Afe Babalola University are some of the few things that can bring about the jobs and opportunities needed to transform this state.

jensinmi:

Very Nice speech by Governor Fayemi.

As an Indigene of Ekiti, I think the only hope for Ekiti development is to bring in outside investment.

All these promises cannot be kept on the Federal Government allocation to Ekiti.

Governor Fayemi's government will be unable to provide all these services to the people of Ekiti because the funds for these are nowhere to be found.

Once salaries are paid, the amount left is barely enough to meet the demands of the people.

Ekiti has almost no industries, no manufacturing base, and very few businesses. The government can only employ a limited amount of people. The rest would have to fall on the private sector. That sector is almost non-existent in Ekiti.

Amongst some of us Ado-Ekiti people, we tell ourselves that Ado-Ekiti (The capital of Ekiti State) has 3 groups of businesses - Banks, Hotels, and Petrol Stations.

The burden on Dr. Fayemi now is a massive one. He has to stimulate the private sector, draw-in outside investment, and streamline the public / government parastatals.

I honestly would not want to be in his position because there is very little to work with.

In all honesty, I do not really think Ekiti is viable on its own right now as a State. We were not ready to become a state when we were removed from Ondo. Ekiti is entirely dependent on the Federal government's monthly allocation. Nonetheless, what is done is done. Time for us to be solution-oriented.

I hope Dr. Fayemi is able to work some magic and change this prognosis.

On a side note, I think projects like the Afe Babalola University are some of the few things that can bring about the jobs and opportunities needed to transform this state.

GBAM!!!!

So we know the problems, do we know the solution? What does Ekiti has to offer in terms of jobs and investment/business?

I am telling you look at this picture, he has many problem than the governor of imo state.  So dont put your hope high. You see unlike lagos with no mountain. You need to pull down the mountain or work around it. In the south east. You see roads road everywhere. The small south east have more road and better road that all of the 10 state in the western niger including delta state.

If heshould focus on other areas. That why have a currency gift certificate would be great. It would help them carry out more project.

jensinmi:

Very Nice speech by Governor Fayemi.

As an Indigene of Ekiti, I think the only hope for Ekiti development is to bring in outside investment.

All these promises cannot be kept on the Federal Government allocation to Ekiti.

Governor Fayemi's government will be unable to provide all these services to the people of Ekiti because the funds for these are nowhere to be found.

Once salaries are paid, the amount left is barely enough to meet the demands of the people.

Ekiti has almost no industries, no manufacturing base, and very few businesses. The government can only employ a limited amount of people. The rest would have to fall on the private sector. That sector is almost non-existent in Ekiti.

Amongst some of us Ado-Ekiti people, we tell ourselves that Ado-Ekiti (The capital of Ekiti State) has 3 groups of businesses - Banks, Hotels, and Petrol Stations.

The burden on Dr. Fayemi now is a massive one. He has to stimulate the private sector, draw-in outside investment, and streamline the public / government parastatals.

I honestly would not want to be in his position because there is very little to work with.

In all honesty, I do not really think Ekiti is viable on its own right now as a State. We were not ready to become a state when we were removed from Ondo. Ekiti is entirely dependent on the Federal government's monthly allocation. Nonetheless, what is done is done. Time for us to be solution-oriented.

I hope Dr. Fayemi is able to work some magic and change this prognosis.

On a side note, I think projects like the Afe Babalola University are some of the few things that can bring about the jobs and opportunities needed to transform this state.

Nice write up. But it is not that bad.

The hope of Ekiti is in Agricultural revolution. Let them invest in farming and Agro-allied Industries/businesses, but not the kind of Fayose Agric-investment.

this will create employment opportunities and bring high income to the state.

here is another side of the state. you can see

They call the state EKITI. Which means What mountain. And it is really mountain.

whether you like it or not something special can happen as even more than LAGOS state situation but we have to believe and also participate.

MY GOV I BELIEVE IN YOUR PRO-GRAMME BUT THE COMMITMENT IS WHAT I DON'T REALLY SURE OF. WITH COMMITMENT ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN IN THE SHORTEST TIME AND BELIEVE ME EVERY DOUBTFUL MIND WILL PRAISE YOU IN THE PRESENCE OF YOUR ENEMIES.

THIS IS MY OPINION: YOU CAN NOT DO GOOD THINGS WITH BAD WAYS because MEANS WILL JUSTIFIED THE END. SOMETHING GOOD CAN ONLY COME YOUR WAY THAT IF ONLY IF YOU BELIEVED. READ YOUR BIBLE WELL: FAITH COMETH BY YOUR BELIEVE.

So this has been a lot of bold talk by Fayemi. But where on earth does he plan on raising the money from?

As I've said before, he needs to seriously leverage the Ekiti disapora abroad. If you do it properly, you can have us pay for those services, and instead spend the gov't allocation on developing infrastructure (most importantly, POWER GENERATION. Solve the electricity problem in Ekiti and within 10 years it will be one of the wealthiest in Nigeria.)

Can anyone estimate roughly how much it would cost to fund the entire primary and secondary school education for one year for Ekiti state? From Wikipedia, looks like the population of the state was roughly 2.7 million in 2005. What fraction of this population is composed of primary and secondary students? How much does it cost per year to fund your average such student? 10K Naira? 50k Naira? If someone can provide a ballpark estimate of these figures, then we can start figuring out how to raise the necessary money from the diaspora.

@ Dapobear,

Really moved by your statement. Though from the Closest Neighbour.

Like UN presence in Many part of the backward nations, Our Citizen home or in Diaspora should know that the time is come to help Govt. at Local and state level in Developing the system.

Fayemi said, 1 Laptop per Student is posible With his experience in lobying foreign partners.

Free Education and Health Services is possible when we know how to do it.

I believe these are not only achievable, but can be achieved with glamour.

However, you and me will be instrumental in the race for the betterment of our states.

On the Figures you needed, I think NGO at home could have some of these facts.

Or we could verify from Ministry of education.

We have heard all this grammar before.
All the people want is a responsive govt that is seen to be working for them and not against them.
He needs to check the state of the state's finances before biting more than he can chew.
anyway, i wish him all the best.

Olaolufred:

@ Dapobear,

Really moved by your statement. Though from the Closest Neighbour.

Like UN presence in Many part of the backward nations, Our Citizen home or in Diaspora should know that the time is come to help Govt. at Local and state level in Developing the system.

Fayemi said, 1 Laptop per Student is posible With his experience in lobying foreign partners.

Free Education and Health Services is possible when we know how to do it.

I believe these are not only achievable, but can be achieved with glamour.

However, you and me will be instrumental in the race for the betterment of our states.

On the Figures you needed, I think NGO at home could have some of these facts.

Or we could verify from Ministry of education.

I don't agree with the one laptop per child stuff. It is completely unnecessary. All you need is a computer lab open somewhere in each town with open access. I didn't get a laptop until I graduated from college myself, I had a pretty clunky and cheap desktop PC. But it was functional, and got the job done. Let's not waste money focusing on non-essentials. Books, pencil and paper, calculator, desks, tables, etc are more important than laptops.

Also, I Googled, appears the education budget is posted online:
http://ekitinigeria.net/State-Budgets/DETAILS-2009-BUDGET.html
(see the middle of the page.)

Roughly 6.5 billion naira over the course of the year, for the entire state, equivalent of 43 million a year? So only 3.5 million a month. I'm pretty sure we have enough Ekiti internationally to cover that amount.

Hrm, and if we set it up properly through a transparent non-profit organization (i.e., books audited by some trusted third party, administered the funds through say the Red Cross)  say based in the US, then contributions then become tax-deductible. So it would be easy to convince random Americans to chip in.

I think this is pretty doable.

Thanks Dapo,

Your view is as good as mine.

I like good course.

If this is well packaged, Quality education can still be very free.

Hope to be part of the great course. As well as im my own state- Ondo.