The Nation Newspaper

Category: Opinion

  • What is Senator Ayade up to?

    One ritual in governance especially at the federal level that never ceases to fascinate me is the yearly defense of budget by ministries, departments and agencies. A lot of efforts go into the process as the relevant agencies storm the National Assembly with loads of documents, determined to impress the relevant committees of Parliament to approve their budgets. Recall what happened to former Education Minister, Professor Fabian Osuji and you will realize that there is a lot that go into budget defense than meets the eye. Some agencies approach it with a desperation that is unhealthy while some of the law makers could also be unnecessarily hawkish; holding the agencies to unreasonable standards. If those standards are always in the nation’s interest, this piece would have been unnecessary.

    One scenario in the on-going defense of budgets by the agencies clearly indicates that the exercise sometimes degenerates into an ambush, where ‘recalcitrant’ MDAs are subjected to public ridicule by law makers. That was my honest conclusion after reading the report of what transpired on Thursday, November 22, when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission defended its Budget before the Senate Committee on Drugs , Narcotics and Anti-Corruption. Needless issue was made out of the agency’s vote for transportation in its 2013 estimate.

    A member of the committee, Senator Benedict Ayade made headline news for reportedly questioning the over N357m earmarked by the agency for local travels and transportation; another N100m for international travels; N73m for local training and another N130m for international training.

    The same member also frowned at the provision of N135m for satellite and broadband charges by the anti- graft agency.

    Ordinarily, there is nothing wrong with a law maker holding an agency to account for its expenditure if the motive is to improve accountability and transparency. But in this instance the motive is suspect. I am told that as soon as Ayade asked his questions, he got up to leave. He was only prevailed upon by the Committee Chairman, Senate Victor Lar to listen to the response by the EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde. Such contemptuous demeanor didn’t show a lawmaker who was prepared to add value to the budget making process. On the contrary, he comes across as a legislator who had taken a stand and was not prepared to listen to superior argument.

    But returning to the issues raised by Ayade, I can’t see what is outrageous in N357m for local travel in a year by an agency that is saddled with the huge responsibility of fighting corruption and financial crimes. My guess is, it is either Ayade is completely out of tune with the work of the EFCC in which case he has no business being on that Committee or his aim is to grand stand for populist end. Otherwise, any member of the Committee should be conversant with the standard operating procedures of the agency. And from the explanation offered by Lamorde, investigation is conducted in teams in which case, a single case may be investigated by no less than a team of five officers, comprising two operatives, two back up security staff and a driver. The team will need fuel for travel and allowances for accommodation and feeding. He also explained that it is not possible to determine how long it will take a team to crack a case. The number of days spent is determined by what the operatives find on the field. And a single matter may require repeated travels, criss-crossing the length and breadth of Nigeria in the course of investigation.

    What is clear here is that fighting corruption and economic crime is not cheap and Nigeria must be prepared to fund the EFCC if we are truly serious about the anti-graft campaign. Not only must we ensure that the agency is mobile; its officers should be well motivated to resist the temptation of being compromised. They also must be trained and retrained as financial crimes in this age are technology-driven. The investigators must be ahead of the fraudsters in the use of technology if we are to keep pace with the rest of the world in tackling organized crime.

    All over the world, nations who truly believe in getting result in law enforcement fund their agencies. For instance it cost the British tax payers a hefty N3.6billion to investigate and prosecute James Ibori. That is just a single case, which has no relevance to the British people beyond the fact that the money was laundered using their institutions.

    So what is Ayade talking about? What does Ayade himself collect as allowance from the National Assembly in a year? If his N17million yearly allowance plus N140million quarterly allocation are not outrageous, I wonder what is. Has the senator justified such huge earnings? How many bills have Ayade to his name? What is even his contribution at plenary, where he often jumps up to repeat the contributions made by other senators.

    The height of his mischief was comparing the EFCC IT infrastructure and expenses with that of his unidentified hotel. Even if it were Transcorp Hilton, it still cannot compare with the demands of a law enforcement agency. Given the specialized nature of the offences which it investigates, it is open secret that EFCC operations are largely IT based. The IT infrastructure that such an agency will require and the concomitant expenses cannot be comparable to Ayade’s Hotel.

    Apart from its headquarters and other offices in Wuse, EFCC, I am told, maintains several offices in Maitama, Garki and a training institute in Karu. The IT infrastructure at the EFCC Academy in Karu, I understand, dwarfs those of leading universities in Nigeria. And all these offices are linked to the zonal offices in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Gombe, and Kano.

    From the foregoing, it is evident Ayade’s motive was to mislead the National Assembly and Nigerians about EFCC expenditure pattern. His motivation is certainly not in the national interest. This is more so as it is alleged that he has a pending case before the commission, in which case the attack might have been a convenient defence strategy.

    Whatever moral baggage that propels Ayade, he must be told that what set the EFCC part from other law enforcement agencies in Nigeria is its response rate and the fact that they carry out their investigation at no cost to the complainant. Apparently Ayade will be glad to see the EFCC degenerate to the level of asking for mobilization from complainants before doing a case. But that is not the vision of the founding fathers and the generality of Nigerians who are enamoured of the activities of the agency.

    Ayade has not shown competence or full grasp of the responsibility of the Committee. His overriding objective was a cheap play to the gallery. He betrayed his motive when he prefaced his questions with a comment that the Commission will not be portrayed positively by the media if he were to publish its budgetary provisions. That was the agenda! Unfortunately, a less discerning section of the media fell for it by amplifying warped notions and misinforming their readers. I expect the media to be very circumspect in the reportage of issues at budget defense. Any farsighted reporter would have been curious about why Ayade was making issues out of EFCC transportation vote but was silent on the miserly N100m vote for prosecution. Prosecution is at the heart of the anti-graft campaign yet Ayade by his silence was comfortable that the EFCC may not even afford the legal fees to prosecute its cases in 2013. What a shame!

    Legislative rascality as demonstrated by Ayade must be condemned by all public spirited Nigerians. Oversight responsibilities are very serious business of the National Assembly and no law maker should be allowed to abuse it to tarnish the image of the institution.

    •Abubakar, a journalist, lives in Abuja.

  • In search of People’s Constitution

    The contentious claim to autochthony in the opening line of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) has remained a fundamental defect of the document. As a result, there have been calls for a national conference (some say sovereign) and/or referendum to cure this malady. But regrettably, these suggestions are not contemplated by the constitution which however, prescribes a formula for its amendment.

    This prescription gives the National Assembly a pre-eminent authority and leeway to alter the document in line with the wishes and aspirations of the Nigerian people. In spite of the successful amendments carried out by the last session of the National Assembly, the dilemma over authentic ownership of the grundnorm has yet festered like an open sore. And while the current seventh National Assembly is in the thick of another amendment process, the question has remained how best to make the resulting constitution a truly peoples’ document.

    Now this is where the House of Representatives has risen to the challenge. Its recently conducted Peoples’ Public Sessions is an ingenious methodology which opens up the amendment process in a manner that sufficiently redresses the controversial claim of pan-Nigerian ownership noted in the extant constitution. On November 10, the 360 federal constituencies across the country were agog with village square-like meetings where the ordinary Nigerian had his voice reflected in discussions over what aspects of our basic law need to be amended and why. The market woman, palm wine tapper, and the local jeweller sat together with the local solicitor, community newspaper publisher, and community health worker to define the Nigeria of tomorrow they want for themselves. Without discrimination, let or hindrances, Nigerians hosted themselves in the comfort and proximity of their neighbourhoods to talk about their similarities and differences; likes and dislikes; preferences and prejudices; and indeed about their future within the context of the Nigerian nation. In a unique way, Nigerians in all nooks and crannies of the country felt an uncommon sense of belonging with government and in particular, their elected representatives at the House of Representatives who merely acted as facilitators of the public sessions and allowed the people to determine the issues of constitutional amendment for themselves.

    43 focal areas distilled from the about 200 memoranda received from the public, were highlighted for discussions and voting at the public sessions with a caveat that constituencies were at liberty to reduce or increase the list depending on the peculiarity of their situations and/or what is considered of priority concern. These focal areas include local government autonomy, financial autonomy for state legislatures, revenue allocation, fiscal federalism, state creation, tenure of office for the president and governors, rotational presidency, the indigene-settler dichotomy, further electoral reforms, separation of the office of Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, constitutional role for traditional rulers, and a host of others. To ensure the credibility of the exercise, the sessions were organized and implemented in each constituency by an independent steering committee of experts and stakeholders which included members of the State House of Assembly in the particular federal constituency, local government chairmen in the constituency, and representatives of the following organizations: Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), Nigeria Bar Association, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Civil Society Organizations, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Nigeria Youth Council (NYC), National Council of Women Societies (NCWS), National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ). Individual members of the constituencies as well as relevant stakeholders like ethnic nationalities, professional organizations, religious organizations, artisans, traditional institutions, town unions, women and youth groups, among others, were specifically invited to attend and participate in the public sessions which were widely advertised and publicised in the national and local media across the country.

    Reports from across the country including those monitored in the media showed that the peoples’ public sessions were a huge success. But that is just the beginning of the pro-people, bottom-up approach of the constitutional amendment process as adopted by the House of Representatives and being so brilliantly coordinated by its Committee on Constitution Review chaired by consummate lawmaker and Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha. The process has entered another integral and important stage: collation of the views of the people freely expressed at the sessions.

    Indeed, some observers have expressed concerns about how the divergent views and choices on the various issues determined at the sessions can be collated without possible manipulations and/or undue influences. This well-placed concern has been contemplated ahead of time and adequate measures put in place to address it. For instance, the Committee has invited representatives of stakeholder groups including those listed above to join its secretariat and participate in the collation of reports from the federal constituencies. In fact, as has always been emphasized by Hon. Ihedioha, the committee secretariat remains open to observation and/or enquiries from members of the public especially during the reports’ collation stage. Bringing this kind of transparency and accountability to bear on the process is a further testimony of the commitment of the House of Representatives to bequeath a truly peoples’ constitution to the Nigerian people in line with its legislative agenda.

    Little wonder then that the methodology adopted by the House of Representatives in seeking to amend the constitution has not only resonated positively with the mass generality of Nigerians, stakeholders have not been sparing in expressing their excitement and contentment with the process. NLC President, Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar, speaking at the official flag-off of the peoples’ public sessions, commended the House of Representatives for the brilliant initiative and described the consultative model as a veritable answer to the clamour in some quarters for a national conference. For Mr. Richard Montgomery, Head of Nigeria Country Office of the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), the peoples’ public sessions is an “incredibly commendable initiative” while for Mr. Emma Ezeazu of the Alliance for Credible Elections (ACE), the idea of the peoples’ public sessions has given democracy in Nigeria “a rejuvenating slogan that CSOs will continue to harp upon even after the programme.”

    Providing leadership and direction to an exercise as constitutional amendment is no tea party and this where the Committee on Constitution Review ably coordinated by the deputy speaker as chairman has stood out so far. Hon. Ihedioha, fully conscious of the huge burden of expectations of Nigerians on the task of amending the constitution has been very careful to maintain and project neutrality in directing the affairs of the committee. And this has in no small measure, helped to credit the committee and indeed the House of Representatives, with a good dose of credulity, satisfaction and acceptability as far as the amendment process is concerned. Being a shrewd and high-heeled politician that he is, Hon. Ihedioha has been careful in both utterances and appearances to allow Nigerians debate and decide for themselves the issues for constitutional amendment while keeping away his views and personal opinions. This impartial disposition is one trait that has become a recurring decimal not just in piloting the amendment process but in nurturing and nourishing the flourishing seventh House of Representatives built by Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal. And this is what Nigerians need in realising the quest for a truly peoples’ constitution that can legitimately approximate the declaration of “we the people.”

    • Epia is Media Adviser to the Rt. Honourable Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives.

  • President Jonathan’s subsidy ruse!

    Just recently while receiving participants of the senior executive course 34 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), President Goodluck Jonathan just like his predecessors made recourse to the familiar refrain of blaming corruption in the oil industry thereby justifying erroneous official thoughts that the total removal of fuel subsidy was the only guarantee to encourage private sector investment in the country’s refinery business. And also the only path that can put an end to importation of refined petrol.

    In the course of the interaction, Mr. President even made allusion to the fact that unlike Nigeria which has four dysfunctional state owned refineries operating below 30 percent of installed capacity, Canada has 16 functional privately owned refineries operating at installed capacity. With all due respect, Mr. President’s analysis is illogical.

    The basis of comparing Nigeria to Canada does not exist in whatever ramification because apart from the fact that they are poles apart in the Human Development Index (HDI), Canada is neither an OPEC member nor an oil producing country like Nigeria. On the other hand, Nigeria can only be compared to countries like Somalia, Afghanistan etc in terms of failed statehood or in terms of its being an oil producing country with other member states in OPEC.

    The issue of state ownership of functional fuel refineries in all OPEC member countries of which Nigeria is a member is not in doubt and we should use this opportunity to avail Mr. President and his economic team this fact. Algeria, for instance is the World 15th largest producer of crude oil (2,125,000bpd) with 5 state owned refineries, maintains petrol pump price at US$0.41 (N61); Libya as at early 2011, before Muammar al-Qaddafi death), the World 17th largest producer of crude oil (1,79millionbpd), with 5 functional refineries maintains petrol pump price at US$0.17 (N25); Iraq, the World 13th largest producer of crude oil (2.4millionbpd), with 11 functional refineries, maintains petrol pump prices at US$0.38 (N56); Iran, the World 4th largest producer of crude oil (4.2millionbpd), with 9 functional refineries and having the World 10th largest refinery (Abadan refinery, refining 450,000bpd), maintains petrol pump price at US$0.65 (N96); Kuwait, the World 10th largest producer of crude oil (2,49millionbpd) with 3 functional refineries subsidizes petrol at US$0.22 (N33).

    Furthermore, Qatar, the World 20th largest producer of crude oil (1.2millionbpd), with 2 functional refineries maintains petrol pump price at US$0.22 (N33); Saudi Arabia, the World 2nd largest producer of crude oil (8.8millionbpd), with 9 functional refineries and having the World 5th largest refinery (Ras Tanura refinery, refining 550,000bpd), subsidizes petrol for its citizens at US$0.16 (N24); the UAE, the World 8th largest producer of crude oil (2.8millionbpd), with 4 functional refineries maintains petrol pump prices at US$0.48 (N71); Ecuador, the World 30th largest producer of crude oil (485,700bpd), maintains petrol pump price at US$0.44 (N65); and Venezuela, the World’s 11th largest producer of crude oil (2.47millionbpd), with 12 functional refineries, and owns the World 2nd largest refinery (Paraguana refinery, refining 940,000bpd), maintains petrol pump prices at US$0.02 (N3).

    From the above analysis, one can see that if we want to make a logical and common sensical comparison on the functionality or otherwise of state owned refineries, our best bet would be with our OPEC colleagues with whom we have something in common. So the critical question to ask is; why are state owned refineries functioning optimally in other OPEC member countries except Nigeria? The answer which we all know and are sure Mr. President knows too even if he is trying pull wool over our eyes is the fact that the non functionality of our state owned refineries is due to corruption and not ownership, pronto!

    Again, Mr. President stood logic on its head when he made an analogy of the oil situation in Nigeria to one’s daughter who has a boil on her face, that it’s either you allow it to remain and deface the girl or you make her visit the surgeon for operation at great pain, cost and inconvenience, the end result of which will be a beautiful face. Mr. President as it has become his trademark and that of his government got it wrong again. The issue is that when one has a seeming problem, you first of all examine the cause of the problem with a view to proffering lasting and not cosmetic solution. My answer to Mr. President’s analogy is that, it is only the medical doctor who can examine the patient and prescribe the appropriate treatment and not the father of the girl who is naturally swayed by fatherly emotion to assume that if there is a lump on his daughter’s face, then it’s a boil, what if its just pimples? On the other hand, let’s even assume it’s a boil, won’t it be better and economical if it’s treated through administration of antibiotics and other non surgical means rather than the pains and scars of a surgery?

    We still remember vividly that this same old worn out song of the necessity of removal of fuel subsidy which has been over played by successive governments was also publicly rehearsed by the Goodluck Jonathan led government. Nigeria apart from being the world’s sixth largest producer of oil, was the only OPEC member country that does not have an accurate data of its oil production because of corruption. It is also the only OPEC member country that exports crude and imports refined petrol for local consumption with the attendant economic loss of other by-products of crude oil to its economy. Just recently, even President Goodluck Jonathan publicly admitted that Nigeria was the only oil producing country in the world that is grappling with the issue of oil theft.

    While Nigerians and groups were calling for debates and dialogue on the issue because we are in a democracy, they were taken aback when they woke up to a new year on January 1st2012 to a new price regime per litre of fuel at N141 in utter disregard for their wishes and aspirations, the rest as they say is history. No one is sure what awaits the citizenry on January 1, 2013.

    The latest call for total removal of fuel subsidy by Mr. President is an escapist admission of failure and one is shocked and surprised that it is coming at a time when the present government has submitted a 2013 budget proposal to the National Assembly in which it has outlined an expenditure of N251.2 billion for the repairs of the four comatose refineries. The question to ask is, doesn’t this policy somersault typify inconsistency, conflict of interest and confusion for government to budget public money for Turn-Around-Maintenance (TAM) and at the same time be canvassing private ownership of refineries?

    Any attempt by the present administration to hike the price of fuel per litre now or in the near future under any anti-people rationalisation guise will not be condoned by the people. A word is enough for the wise!

    • Nelson Ekujumi is Executive Chairman of Committee for the Protection of Peoples Mandate (CPPM).

  • Towards good healthcare delivery

    Towards good healthcare delivery

    Health, they say, is wealth. A nation without healthy people is good for nothing- a living dead. So also a nation without sound and qualitative healthcare policies will have its population peopled by weaklings and the sickly.

    For a nation to progress, its first priority must be how to develop its human capita base. And the first means of achieving this is through provision of qualitative healthcare programs. Part of what worked for President Barrack Obama in the last United States’ election was his healthcare policy tagged Obamacare, which placed healthcare at the doorstep of the American populace.

    The late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, had the foresight and quickly put free qualitative healthcare in his four cardinal points agenda blueprint before he became the Premier of the defunct Western Region. When he came to the saddle of leadership, he pronounced what is today known as Awoism (Awolowo’s political philosophy) in a four-point program called Regime of Mental Magnitude.

    For Awolowo, this was necessary because it complemented his free education programme. He knew at that time that only a healthy man could seek knowledge. Hence the aphorism: sound mind in sound body.

    Nations with the highest life expectancy ratio, if properly examined, have as their prime, a priority of an all-encompassing healthcare policies backed by states-of-the-art facilities.

    In Europe, a focal point for Africa in terms of solution to health conundrum, countries, who got their health care policies right, essentially enjoy some of the longest average life expectancies at birth – variously put at an average of 75 years in most countries. Here in Africa, the situation is diametrically contradictory. Death rate in Africa seems like 100 a penny. A 2005 figure puts it at 14.2 deaths per 1,000 people, which is considered the highest in the world.

    Tragically, however, the countries of North Africa have significantly lower rates than those of sub-Saharan Africa according to the global health monitor, World Health Organisation (WHO). WHO further observed that infant and child mortality from medley of communicable and parasitic diseases are usually major death catalysts?

    Vaccination campaigns have helped to lower death rates among children significantly since the last century. Nevertheless, over the same period, a swelling prevalence of infection with the killer Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) has actually resulted in the decline of life expectancy in some countries.

    The situation seven years after is not any better today. And this is due mostly to the sloppy manner with which health and health-related issues are handled in this part of the globe. Zeroing on Nigeria, the statistics signposts an unpleasant reality and bleak future, should the health situation be left unattended to. Our infant mortality rate is put at 94 in 1,000 live births and a life expectancy of 48 years.

    Also, the global heath watchdog identified malaria as the leading cause of death and is likely to remain so, due to the growing resistance both of the malaria parasite to drugs as well as of the mosquito, which transmits malaria, to insecticides. Other preventable diseases that the country has been unable to halt include measles, whooping cough, polio, cerebrospinal meningitis (prevalent in the North), gastroenteritis, diarrhea, tuberculosis, bronchitis, waterborne infectious diseases such as schistosomiasis, and sexually transmitted infections.

    Expectedly, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is becoming more and more prevalent in the country with Federal Government paying leap service to controlling and subsequently eradicating it. For instance, statistics captured about 2.6 million Nigerians as having been infected with HIV and 170,000 lost to the deadly disease in 2005. This situation has nosedived at present.

    This explains why today, Nigerians and other countries in Africa go to these technologically advanced countries of Europe, America, and lately Asia, for treatment of numerous ailments no matter how trivia.

    Leaders of the country, while instilling confidence in the people to believe in what they have, junket around the world whenever they have slight ailment. They do not believe in the competency and proficiency of their own hospitals.

    National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has remained, like any other white elephant project of the Federal Government, chiefly inoperative. Nigerians only get to hear it work in the number of advert placements on television and in the pages of newspapers.

    On the contrary, the State of Osun under Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has decided to have a break with that coarse tradition of ineptitude, not only in the health sector of the state but also in other sectors such as education, agriculture, rural integration, economy, transportation, tourism, etcetera.

    The focus here is the health sector and what the government has done and is doing differently. Therefore, part of this administration’s plans includes urgent need for the restoration of healthy living for the people of the state.

    Following this resolve, government has focused on healthcare delivery including provision of effective and efficient healthcare delivery for all irrespective of age.

    The Osun healthcare programme is planned in such a way that the people, whether living in rural or urban areas, would have direct access, to the provided health facilities effortlessly. Consequently, the government planned the location of those facilities in such a way that the citing of the main hospitals, referral hospitals and healthcare clinics to fall within reasonable radius to one another across the state.

    A specimen: Primary Healthcare clinic within 10 (ten) kilometres radius of every Osun town with special attention to the needs of the children, women and elderly; a functional General Hospitals within twenty (20) kilometres radius of human habitation and Referral Hospitals within 30 (thirty) kilometres radius of human settlement.

    All these are in addition to the establishment of free blood pressure checks in conjunction with private organisations at every local government office, 30 in all. Besides, there is also provision for free treatment of malaria for children below the age of 18 as well as senior citizens in the state.

    Even with all these in less than two years, Ogbeni believes the health sector has not been uplifted to his set optimum standard. Thus, he has shifted his attention now to upgrading existing health infrastructure. Oddly, this has not been done in the history of the state since its creation twenty years ago. Medical personnel too are being sent on retraining programmes.

    The idea behind this retraining is for the medical personnel to be exposed to latest medical technologies and techniques in various fields of medical practices. Hence, the State of Osun Government has committed N18 million for sponsorship of six medical personnel to the University of Magdeburg Teaching Hospital, Germany.

    This first phase drew professionals from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital (LAUTECH). Soon, the second phase will follow. This is a manifestation of Aregbesola’s strong conviction and well-founded resolve to give people of the state qualitative, affordable and integrated healthcare facilities.

    As Federal Government defers its millennium healthcare goal, the State of Osun believes ‘the time is now’ to achieve the MDG standard healthcare for its people. This administration does not believe in a dream deferred.

    • Kunle Owolabi is of the Bureau of Communications and Strategy, office of the Governor of the State of Osun.

  • Mama Awo at 97

    Mama Awo at 97

    I once wrote in 1995, when Mama HID Awolowo was celebrating her 80th birthday that: “The holy Scriptures teach us; “To number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.” As we gather today to rejoice with mama on her 97th anniversary, it is wise to recall that “our days are three score years and ten” but those that the Lord blesses with strength, live to celebrate beyond three score years. This is why, as we rejoice on this occasion, with Mama our celebration song should be: “to God be the glory”.

    I was with Mama few weeks ago in Ikenne, as we discussed on today’s celebration, Mama enthused, “Folu, I give God all the glory for allowing me to stay alive till today, someone told me days ago that he is warming up to my centenary anniversary and I replied Mama: “So shall it be in Jesus Name.”

    For Mama, the “Jewel of inestimable value,”has her ancestry in the Obara ruling house of Ikenne Remo, having been born to Chief Moses Odugbemi Adelana, the Ayangbuwa of Ikenne and Deaconess Elizabeth Oyesile Adelana on November 25th 1915, life took her through elementary and high school education in both Ikenne and Lagos, a three-year teaching stint in Ikenne until a blissful and happy married life which began on December 26, 1937 with the sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and was later blessed with children, grand children and great grand children.

    Mama’s siblings are always quick to share the loving and helpful way in which she had been and still is a great pillar and pride to them. Prince Oluwole Awolowo describes Mama in her biography titled: “The jewel” as “a mother in a billion”. He goes on: “As for her strength of character, I continue to marvel at the degree of her resilience, endurance and patience when confronted with a grave situation. I should recall that Mama Single-handedly took care of all our needs as little kids when Papa was away to the United Kingdom in the mid-forties in search of the Golden Fleece. Equally, she also rose to the occasion in a marvelous and exemplary manner to the eternal admiration of all; she also rose to the occasion in a marvelous and exemplary manner to the eternal admiration of all. When all things turned terribly bleak for the family. When Papa as the head of the family was being persecuted in the early sixties. We the children lacked nothing in terms of material comfort during those very dark days”.

    Mama is not only a loving and caring mother, she is also a disciplined and enterprising business guru, who stays committed to whatever she believes is right. Her perpetual disciplinarian stance naturally ends up shaping right all those who work directly with her and scares off all the lazy and indolent ones.

    This trait of hers has remained a potent force that saw to the rise of her enterprise from a modest beginning to the business empire that it now is.

    Perhaps the strongest positive influence on her life is Mama’s Christian back ground which molded her into a devout Christian that she is. On account of her loving husband being a Methodist in Ibadan. Mama Awolowo became a staunch member of Agbeni Methodist Church in 1940, where she played and still perform the worthy role of matron to many Christian and social organisations within the church and without. Mama is currently the Iya Ijo of Saint Saviours Anglican Church, Ikenne as well as the Diocesan Mother of the Remo diocese. She now has a church named in her honour at Sagamu.

    She has not abandoned the business of serving the people. For her it is a lifetime commitment. That is why Mama has continued to be involved in several events that affect the lives of the people by way of social service and religious obligations.

    Added to this are the obligations that she must perform as a leader in Yorubaland.

    Because of the political stature of Papa Awo in Yorubaland and Mama’s contributions to the progress of the Yoruba people, many people look up to her for inspiration, wise counsel and assistance in matters affecting the race. She cannot but make herself available for these obligations, which sometime, can be very demanding; because, she must continue to provide a rallying point for the unity of the Yoruba people just as Papa did.

    Before Papa’s transition in 1987, he was the undisputed leader of the Yoruba both on the political and social-cultures fronts. Papa enjoyed the cooperation of all including the royal fathers who are the custodians of the history and native of the Yoruba race, political leaders and Yoruba born captains of industry and down the ladder to farmers, professional groups and students.

    Since 1987, things have not been the same. The Yoruba race suffers leadership crisis, which is seriously affecting the unity of the race. In this circumstance, Mama could not ignore the spirited calls of well meaning sons and daughters of the land that she should contribute to the efforts to restore unity and love among Yoruba leaders and create a credible leadership that can speak for the race with one voice and one purpose. This she has started with the regular meeting of the Yoruba Unity Forum at Ikenne.

    It is indeed worthy of note that in spite of her age, she is still as mentally alert as ever and radiating youthfulness that only a very meticulous mind is capable of, at 97 years.

    Mama has often said that it is not possible to be married to Chief Obafemi Awolowo and not be so alert. Having therefore developed this sense of smartness and talent of “never forgetting” over the years. It has reached such level that her mental picture of attendees at ceremonies is outstanding. Notwithstanding, Mama will always know whether you came or not and you cannot ‘hide’ making it difficult to claim you were there when you were not.

    A woman to my mind is only complete in her husband. It is heartening to recall the completeness of Mama in her husband, our own dear Papa Awo who transcended to higher glory on May 9, 1987’. Papa confirmed this himself in his autobiography: “With my wife on my side, it has been possible for us to weather all financial storms. Because of her charm, humility, generosity and ever ready sympathy and helpfulness for others in distress, she is beloved and respected by all our friends and acquaintances. She has courage of a rare kind. I have that too. But I am no match for her at all, in her exercise of infinite patience and forbearance under all manner of circumstances. She absorbs without a word of complaint all my occasional acts of instability. By her unique virtues. She has been of un measurable assistance to me in the duties attached to my career as a public man.”

    Mama cannot have a better testimonial. And that is not all. Papa goes on to say. “ I do not hesitate to confess that I owe my success in lie to three factors, the grace of God, a spartan self-discipline and a good wife.

    “A good wife”. The scriptures say, who can find? Chief Mrs. Awolowo is indeed a good wife. According to her husband “throughout all the changing fortunes of my life, since I married her on December 26, 1937, my wife, Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo has been to me a jewel of inestimable value, she is an ideal wife and I am sure she too regards me as an ideal husband. The outpouring of her love and devotion to me and to our family is exceeding and beyond words.

    Against the background of such an overwhelming credential and an evident testimony of her continued inestimable value to her children, family members loved ones and society in general; who says the toast to the continued health of Mama, Chief Doctor Mrs. H.I.D. Awolowo is done! For H.I.D. the Jewel at 97. ‘to God be the glory, great things He hath done.”

  • Day Americans saw Obudu Ranch Resort and wept

    Day Americans saw Obudu Ranch Resort and wept

    It was just a 30-minute flight from the Margaret Ekpo International Airport in Calabar to the Bebi Airstrip in Obudu. But for the 30-man delegation from the State of Maryland, the United States of America, it seemed like eternity.

    Led by the Secretary of State, John MC Donough, the Maryland delegation had arrived Cross River State three days earlier to cement the Sister State programme entered into by both states.

    The historic Friendship Agreement was entered into by both states on July 23, 2012 in Annapolis, the capital of Maryland.

    So before the short flight to Obudu, the Maryland delegation was given a tour of Calabar and taken to places like the Slave Trade Museum, Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort, Marina Resort, The Palace of King Eyo Honesty, Sure-foot American College, Destiny Child Centre and Obudu Ranch Resort.

    The tour was an eye-full for them. At Tinapa for instance, they were pleasantly surprised by what they saw. Not in their wildest imagination had they expected to find such a complex in Nigeria. They were spellbound.

    Indeed, the Deputy Secretary of State, Rajan Nata was so overwhelmed by Tinapa and the prospects it holds that he vowed to personally lead the efforts to market it in the US.

    He also offered some marketing tips that should be adopted locally so that Tinapa can fly.

    So, when the flight took off from Margaret Ekpo International Airport for the Bebi Airstrip, the delegation was eager to see Obudu, the crown jewel of the tourism offering of the state.

    When the plane landed at the Bebi Airstrip, the delegation was driven to the foot of the Ranch from where they took the cable car to the resort.

    At the Resort, they were given a grand tour of the facility including the Presidential Mansion built by the Senator Liyel Imoke administration.

    Interestingly, in the Maryland delegation was a Nigerian, Mr. Sylvester Okereke. Okereke is the chairman of the Nigeria/Maryland Sister State Project.

    What he saw in Calabar and Obudu was too much for Okereke to bear and so he succumbed to emotions.

    With all the negative things being written about Nigeria in the international media, the delegation, particularly Okereke, was taken aback by what it saw.

    Speaking about his experience, a sobbing Okereke said: “I vow to help in any capacity I am needed to showcase the hidden, undiscovered riches we have in Cross River.”

    On why he got misty-eyed, he said: “I was deeply broken and wept after seeing the few places I saw. I was like, ‘God thank you.’ A flashback on Psalm 49:20 flooded into my mind.”

    Psalm 49:20 reads: “A man with valuable possessions but without understanding is like the animals that perish.”

    The partnership between both states covers such areas as Agriculture, Health, Information Communication Technology (ICT), Education, Tourism and Investment.

    At a private dinner with the delegation, the state governor, Senator Liyel Imoke expressed the hope that the partnership will soon begin to yield dividends for the peoples of both states.

    The friendship agreement affords Cross River State the opportunity to tap into Maryland’s experience and technology to position itself as a preferred destination in all spheres of development on the continent.

    According to Special Adviser Inter-Governmental Affairs, Mr. Joe Edet, “the partnership creates a platform that will be effective, transparent and strategic in ushering in the deliverables of this relationship in the state”.

    Edet further stressed that, “today, global cooperation is crucial to social and economic vitality and this sister state relationship will help to enhance economic development because no country or state can survive on its own without some sort of support, assistance or co-operation from dependable allies”.

    The leader of the delegation and the Secretary of State of Maryland, John MC Donough said the delegation was in Cross River on a mission to strengthen relations between the two states following the signing of the Friendship Agreement earlier in the year in the United States.

    Their visit, he said, was a fact finding mission, to look into areas of partnership, co-operation and capacity building.

    He said such a bilateral agreement would be of benefit to “the two sister states”.

    The relationship opens doors for Cross River to have access to Maryland’s companies, educational institutions, non-profit organizations and citizens through high level government connection, thereby promoting huge foreign investment in Cross River.

    Special Adviser Tourism Development, Mr. Wilfred Usani said the partnership will develop the slave trade route in Calabar, which was a gateway to about 30 percent of slaves from the West African sub region to America and Europe.

    During its visit to Sure-foot American School, the Maryland team gave assurances of its assistance under its educational, technical and capacity building programmes.

    At Destiny Child Centre, a pet project of the wife of the state governor, Mrs. Obioma Liyel Imoke, which accommodates 96 street children for rehabilitation, the team assured the Centre of its cooperation, support and assistance.

    Under the agreement in education, Cross River will have access to many educational, technical and innovative resources and opportunities in the area of Hitech and ICT, Curriculum Development especially in science, Engineering and Technology to lift its standard of education.

    It is also expected to benefit from scholarship for indigenes of the state to study abroad under the student/staff exchange and training programme and curricular development.

  • As Lagos hosts the National Sports Festival

    As Lagos hosts the National Sports Festival

    The Soviet Union’s successful landing of man in space was one of mankind’s extra ordinary achievements of the last century.

    Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin feat, outstripped the Americans and an irked President John F. Kennedy rallied his agitated nation and quickly proposed the launching of the Saturn, at that time the most powerful rocket, to challenge the Russians’ lead in the probing of the galaxies.

    With its strident space and earthly innovations challenged on the moon, and on the other planets, Russia by the middle of the 60s avoided that decade’s Cultural Revolution, the R & B, Soul Music and sneaked investment into its sports industry. Leading a cultural revival of its people Russia, pursued the domination of the world through the instrument of Sports.

    Decidedly, the Union of the Soviet Republic at once, invented the SPARTAKIADA. While the Super Power rivalry continued from the outer space innovations, veering into the control of the air waves, to the domination of the waters of the earth; the Soviet Republic at last mobilized its large land mass along with its equally massive and very strong athletic peoples. In no time, extending the same programme to its satellite states, of East Germany, the Balkans; Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, with Cuba on the Pacific, the Communist bloc overran the US and the West on the strenuous turf of the Olympics.

    This was the period, where Cuba mesmerised in the Olympics, and produced the unbeatable Stevenson, Olympic Heavyweight champion who until his retirement refused any dollar enticement to relocate to the West. His socialist stance, denied mankind another of those “Fight of the Century” remarkable in this period with those memorable fistcuffs starring, Mohammad Ali, the Greatest. If Ali’s encounter with Joe Frazier is taped as Thrilla In Manilla and with George Foreman in Kinshasha, tagged; Rumble In The Jungle. Imagine at their prime, what would have been the Ali Vs Stevenson clash copy sound like….? The final stand of the last two Mohicans or the collision of the super Galaxies.

    The SPARTAKAIDA is what is known in Nigeria as the National Sports Festival. Introduced to Nigeria, in 1971, by General Henry Adefope after he was invited to the Moscow Youths Sports Festival, Lagos is hosting for the third time, since the Festival’s inauguration in 1971.

    The Sports Festival, essentially is a perennial Festival involving designated Olympic Sports, which is programmed to support the development of the Youths, especially from the Provinces to the State, with the finals going to the National stage, as we are about to witness in Lagos, from the November 2? to the 7th of December 2012.

    Below, therefore, is a sketch of Nigeria’s leading Sports States as they prepare for the games. With what we have seen on our tour, juxtaposed with the leadership and the philosophies guiding those states, we would venture to predict that Lagos State perhaps is the most conditioned and the best prepared to win the festival.

    Mention is also given to those states, like Osun, Enugu, Ogun, Abuja Capital Territory, Nasarrawa who though may not win it are faithful to the concept of the founders of Spaitaikada.

    Lagos

    As the host of the festival, Lagos is expected to win. The host’s greatest boost is that the governor is a product of Secondary Schools Sports. Presently, he is a nail-biting competitor in both football and tennis.

    An alumnus of Igbobi College, which before the war produced Nigeria’s greatest school boy all-rounder of all time, late Sydney Asiodu. With such a rich tradition to lean on, Fashola without firing a shot is already taller than his colleagues. The Igbobian winning philosophy will always come to play. Already as part of his modernisation programme for Lagos, the governor quietly restored the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere. No surprise that budding athletes are on their own embarking on individual training and working with others. and the city of Lagos is exercised and ready to go.

    Not known to rest on his oars the sporting governor went all the way to build another stadium at Agege. With that masterstroke he mobilised quite a large number of his downtrodden but athletic-leaning masses.

    With visible centers for hours of practice, under the watchful eyes of the best coaches, we predict that Lagos State, even without hosting the Games would have been the best prepared state for the 2012 National Festival.

    Enter the Port Harcourt boys

    The Rivers contingent to this game will give it all, pomp and pageantry, thrill and extravaganza. Yes, everything that Eko for show brings to the game, especially in the opening ceremonials would be returned in good measure by the Port Harcourt boys and girls.

    We have picked the leadership advantages of Fashola in the quest of Lagos to win the impending festival. In presenting the equally tested squad from Rivers State, we acknowledge the sterling pedigree of a state active in sports development, lacing their possibilities with a leadership that is as formidable as the Eko Leviathan.

    If there is a state that will rock it for Lagos, it will be Rivers. They are defending champions and the Port Harcourt Brigade wants to prove it. They can win it hosting or not hosting. Their swimming squad of last time is still around and better. Remember, whichever state dictates the pace under water, is coming home with the overall. Significantly, of all the states, in the former Eastern Nigeria, Rivers State has the most organised sports administration. As a result, the state is in position to poach athletes from all the adjoining states, where conservative governors and policies have pushed sports to the doldrums. Apart from swimming, the state will do well in wrestling, and the combat sports of Judo, Karate and Taekwando.

    Win DELTA Win

    Delta is the only state with an articulated sports policy and it is capable of snatching victory from Lagos.

    Recently, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, appointed a chairman of an independent Delta Sports Council, divorcing it from the slow bureaucracy of the former Ministry of Social Development. That was a ground breaker policy.

    Uduaghan’s courageous separation of the Delta Sport Council from corrupt ministry officials is encouraging and should be ordered for similar councils all over the country. With a Sports Council that reports directly to the governor, that independence can be used to reach, and mobilise Nigeria’s most conditioned athletic region to conquer Nigeria and the world.

    A state that is home to the likes of Jay Jay Okocha, National Team Coach, Stephen Keshi, former Captains, Sunday Oliseh, Thompson Usiyen, Victor Oduah, Nduka Odizor, first African in the Wimbledon finals, has no business contesting the leadership of Nigerian sports with less endowed groups.

    Why is it that capital since the creation of the state Asaba has not had a working stadium? Why since the 1st Delta State Sports Council Festival in 1998, have we not had any visible state organised sports festival?

    If there is any state that will give Lagos a run for their money it is Delta. The coaches and athletes will do it, in spite of the absence of a visible, inspiring leadership. When it becomes an issue of pride and tradition, Win Delta Win is a frightening mantra. And those other states can bet on that.

    Enugu

    The state is coming to Lagos with the high morale. This contingent has never had it so good. A new helmsman, the Commissioner of Sports, first of all, sorted out Rangers FC and then proceeded to organise the first school sport festival that returned Enugu to the productive prospects the state is now enjoying.

    Enugu athletes are tomorrow headlines, and even if the state fails to make the top listing, the state is seeing a new era in the management of sports and Nigeria, after Lagos should watch out.

    These first three states are the leading contenders with Edo coming in, far fourth. This is very unfortunate for Edo which, by tradition, should be in the topmost bracket.

    The North, inspite of the upsurge of Boko Haram could spring some surprises. We expect Kaduna, Plateau, and Niger to register in hockey, handball, cycling and the long distance races.

    – Okocha is a former Director of Sports, Delta State.

  • Worrying spate of killings

    Worrying spate of killings

    The orgy of callous killings and reckless destruction of property in Nigeria is becoming alarming and unbearable.  With the continuous bombing, kidnapping and killing across the country it is difficult to have any meaningful development.

    The insurgence of the dreaded Islamic sect, Boko Haram has almost crippled the country with the government not being able to exercise its sovereignty to protect the lives and property of its citizenry.  It was estimated that over 1,200 people have been killed by the sect since it began attacks against the Nigerian government in 2009.

    More worrying is the recent killings in the academic community. Before now this is a sacred place for intellectual propagation but has turned out to be unsafe haven. The recent massacre of about 40 students of Federal Polytechnic, Mubi in Adamawa state by unknown gun men is barbaric. While the outrage over this callous massacre is yet to settle, four students of University of Port Harcourt were lynched and set ablaze by a mob in Aluu community for allegedly stealing laptops and mobile phone. The emotional and psychological pains inflicted to their families and loved ones could better be imagined.

    All these happenings have dented the image of the country in international circles.  This underscores why many Nigerians experience unnecessary embarrassment with airport and immigration officials of developed countries.

    Sadly, when wicked acts like these are perpetrated we only hear that investigations have been ordered. Who are those doing the investigation and how many culprits have been brought to book to serve as deterrent to others who might be tempted to commit similar offences.

    Evil thrives when those who are supposed to speak keep mute for one reason or the other. Is high time the religious leaders and traditional rulers speak out, caution as well as admonish their followers and subjects on the dangers of shedding innocent blood.

    Our clergy men and monarchs have the crucial task of preaching against killings in their sermons and during village or town hall meetings respectively.

    We must not allow the law of jungle justice to replace our rule of law and hard earned democracy. Investigations of killings must be thorough and quick and Nigerians told the outcome. This will not only strengthen our justice system but also restore people’s confidence in the government and institutions.

    Most importantly, there is urgent need for re-orientation of people on the value of life. We should understand our diverse religious, ethnical and cultural differences and refrain from taking laws into our hands if we must exist as one peaceful nation.

  • The United Kingdom G8 presidency in 2013

    One year on from the Olympics, the eyes of the world will again be on the United Kingdom next summer, as we host the G8 at Lough Erne in Northern Ireland.

    Some people ask: does the G8 still matter, when we have a G20? My answer is “Yes”. The G8 is a group of like-minded nations who share a belief in free enterprise as the best route to growth. And as eight countries making up around half of the world’s entire GDP, the standards we set, the commitments we make, and the steps we take can help solve vital global issues, fire up economies and drive prosperity all over the world.

    Lough Erne 2013 will be focused on three ways in which we can support the development of open economies, open governments and open societies to unleash the power of the private sector. Advancing trade, ensuring tax compliance and promoting greater transparency.

    First, trade. There is no greater stimulus for growth in the world economy than trade and no more important battle than the fight against protectionism. As the G8, we have a collective responsibility to drive forward trade liberalisation. I am already leading EU efforts to finalise a free trade agreement with Canada and to launch negotiations with Japan and America over the next year. I want G8 leaders to seize the opportunity of the discussion at Lough Erne to agree how we will accelerate progress across our ambitious trade agenda. To take just one example, the EU and US together make up nearly a third of all global trade. And an ambitious deal between the two could provide an enormous boost to jobs and growth adding over £50 billion to the EU economy alone.

    Second, taxes. People rightly get angry when they work hard and pay their taxes, but then see others not paying their fair share. So this G8 will seek to maintain the momentum generated by the G20 on information exchange and the strengthening of international tax standards. We will look to go further including, for example, on tax havens by improving the quality and quantity of tax information exchange. And we will work with developing countries to help them improve their ability to collect the tax that is due to them too.

    Third, transparency. The G8 has a long history of advances on development – and this G8 will be no different. The UK is meeting our commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of our gross national income on aid from 2013 – and we will be holding other countries to account for their promises too. We will also be leading the way in the battle against hunger with a special event on food and nutrition a few days before the main meeting, to follow up on this year’s Olympic Hunger Summit.

    But I believe the UK’s track record on aid gives us the legitimacy to use this G8 in a radically different way by supporting what I call the “golden thread” of conditions that enable open economies and open societies to drive prosperity and growth for all. These include the rule of law, the absence of conflict and corruption, and the presence of property rights and strong institutions.

    Transparency and accountability are vital for this. Too often, development at the G8 has been about rich countries doing things to poor countries. But at Lough Erne, we in the developed world will concentrate on issues that involve us putting our own house in order and helping developing countries to prosper. Take the issue of mineral wealth. We need to make sure that, for developing countries, this is a blessing not a curse. So the UK is leading efforts in the EU to require oil, gas and mining companies to publish key financial information for each country and project they work on. And I want this G8 to drive greater transparency all around the globe so that revenues from oil, gas and mining can help developing countries to forge a path to sustainable growth, instead of fuelling conflict and corruption.

    These defining advances in trade, tax and transparency could lay the foundations of long-term growth and prosperity for generations to come. But to achieve them we also need to cut through the bureaucracy of traditional international summits.

    So Lough Erne 2013 will return the G8 to its roots. The original leaders’ fireside chat which inspired today’s G8 gatherings took place at the Chateau de Rambouillet in 1975, organised by the then French President in response to the need to address worldwide economic problems. They held searching discussions, and issued a succinct declaration just 15 paragraphs long.

    Nearly forty years on, we will go back to those first principles. There will be no lengthy communiqué. No mile long motorcades. And no armies of officials telling each other what each of their leaders thinks– or should think. Instead we will build on the approach taken by President Obama at Camp David this year: one table and one conversation with G8 leaders holding each other to account and ensuring that good intentions really do become vital actions to advance growth and prosperity across the world.

    I look forward to welcoming my fellow leaders to Lough Erne and to showcasing Northern Ireland to the world as a modern and dynamic part of the United Kingdom that is open for business, with huge potential for investment and tourism.

    Northern Ireland’s transformation over the last two decades was made possible by the courage of so many people across all sections of its community. Their determination and leadership has inspired the world. And we must show the same resolve to make sure this G8 delivers growth and prosperity for the United Kingdom, for Nigeria and for the world.

    • David Cameron is Prime Minister of United Kingdom

  • Fayemi, the pathfinder

    Fayemi, the pathfinder

    In the 16th of October 2010, when a tumultuous crowd of Ekiti Indigenes took to the streets to celebrate the judicial pronouncement of the Appeal Court that declared Dr. Kayode Fayemi as the duly elected governor of the state, many thought it was all a part of politicking. Some critics even went as far as saying the crowd was rented to create an illusion of popularity for the new governor.

    But for those of us resident in the state, Fayemi’s victory at the Appeal Court was a sigh of relief and a promise that better days were ahead for us. It was a clear proof that heaven had finally sated the cravings of the good people of Ekiti for a messiah.

    Before Fayemi’s administration, the environment of Ekiti State was an eyesore. Ado-Ekiti, the capital was an Aegean Stable that would rank amongst the worst capital cities in the country. Major and minor streets in the metropolis were littered as virtually every available space had become a refuse site. Drainages were blocked, walls were defaced with posters of all sorts and the roads were in derelict conditions. The stench oozing from the heaps of refuse that had become a regular sight on almost every street was a constant source of worry for everyone but the government that was contended with turning a blind eye to the problem. So bad was the situation that visitors in the state who were not familiar with the nauseating smell would cover their noses while walking and driving on the streets.

    Thankfully those days have become history that will soon fade from our memories as a people. The coming of Dr. Fayemi marked the end of that era of disorder in Ado Ekiti and other towns in the state. In just two years at the helms the governor has transformed the environment of Ekiti State for good. He has proved to be the pathfinder illuminating our paths out of the dungeons where his predecessors placed us.

    It is to Fayemi’s credit that a town that was once an eyesore and held no attractions for anyone now glows and competes favourably with Ikeja, Asaba, Uyo and other capital towns in Nigeria.

    In his quest to ensure that things do not remain the way they were before his time, the governor started the urban renewal initiative which seeks to revamp and beautify Ado-ekiti and other cities in the state.

    The results are obvious for all eyes to see. With the re-introduction of the monthly environmental sanitation across the state, the governor is turning Ekiti into a decent and modern State. We now see colourful flowers and trees blossoming in places that used to be refuse dump sites. Drainages are flowing freely and roads that used to be decorated with filth are now being swept on a daily basis. The stench that hung in the air before now has also been replaced with an aura fresh air.

    Any visitor familiar with the Ekiti State during the pre-Fayemi era would attest that the Governor has performed credibly well in such a short time. Ekiti now wears a new a look that is hard to deny.

    For Governor Fayemi, it is not just about giving the capital city a face-lift. It is about meeting the people’s expectations, creating a platform for them to develop themselves and leaving something tangible for posterity. For instance, when one considers the ‘Lagacy Projects’ that were initiated last month when he marked his second year in office, it becomes clears to see that the governor is driven by a passion to make life better for the people by turning the state into an urban centre. He knows that a well kept environment will not only attract investors to the state but will also put the people in the right frame of mind to think and come up with ideas that will better their lives.

    The projects which include a new Government House, Civic Centre (incorporating a library, museum and art gallery and a cinema), State Pavillion (something like the Eagle’s Square in Abuja, where parade and other activities will take place), Samsung Engineering Academy and Grand Tower Shopping Mall which will be incorporated by Shoprite will not only add aesthetic value to the state but also provide job opportunities for the people. Aside from that, it will also improve the internally generated revenue of the state.

    The infrastructural development programmes initiated by Fayemi’s administration have also contributed immensely in transforming the landscape of Ekiti State. In fulfillment of his promises to connect all parts of Ekiti State through motorable roads, the governor embarked on massive road construction projects across the state. As at today almost all the major roads in the State have either been completed or nearing completion. Even the Ado-Iworoko-Ifaki Road which proved a difficult task for previous governments is almost at the last stage of construction. Without doubt, these projects have eased the burden of life and living for millions of the residents of the state.

    The best thing about Fayemi’s environmental renaissance is that it has placed Ekiti state on the spotlight as a tourist destination. The massive investments at the famous Ikogosi spring which serves as the state’s tourism hub speaks volumes of what his administration wants to achieve. By redesigning the landscape, constructing villa chalets and an amphitheatre, the governor is looking to attract local and international tourists to our beloved state. For a state that is naturally endowed with some of the most picturesque landscape, beautiful mountains, and alluring valleys, tourism portends an economic boom for the people.

    As an observer, I often ask myself why previous administrations did not do as much as Dr. Fayemi is doing now. If any of the governor priviledged to have ruled this state had done a quarter of what he is doing, our state will definitely be more developed than it is today. With the meagre resources coming from the Federal Government as monthly allocation and a lean internally generated revenue purse, he has been able to achieve so much. I have no doubts that by the end of his tenure as governor, Ekiti would be one of the most sought after states in this country.

    • Omonigbehin writes from Ado-Ekiti.