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Tag: Kayode Fayemi

  • Ogundipe now EKSUTH’s CMD

    Ogundipe now EKSUTH’s CMD

    Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has appointed Dr Kolawole Ogundipe as the Chief Medical Director of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti. The Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon was appointed in acting capacity last year.

    The appointment takes immediate effect according to a letter dated April 17 and signed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Folake Olomojobi.

    Ogundipe, a native of Ijesa Isu Ekiti in Ikole Local Government, joined EKSUTH in 2008 as a Consultant Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon before he became the Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee of the hospital in 2012.

    Dr Ogundipe is also the immediate past Chairman of the Ekiti State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA).

     

  • I’ll continue to do development with the people, says Fayemi

    I’ll continue to do development with the people, says Fayemi

    Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has promised that he will always involve people in the state’s development.

    The governor spoke at the weekend in Isan-Ekiti during his quarterly meeting with representatives of Community Development Associations (CDAs) across the state for a review of ongoing projects being implemented across communities through the grant-in-aids programme.

    Fayemi said the Community Self Help Projects programme was a fulfilment of his promise not to “do development for the people, but to do development with the people”.

    The various CDAs were represented at the meeting by their chairmen and secretaries.

    Fayemi said the programme was already actualising its set goals even as some communities have completed their projects while others are at advanced completion stages.

    Said he: “It is a quarterly meeting of community representatives in the 132 communities and farmsteads. We have projects almost dotting all communities. Some have been completed, some are half-way through, some are three quarter finished and we have milestone payment for them and some are due for second tranche payment.

    “The monarchs in each community show appreciation for the self-help projects. They chose the project, the contractor, the carpenter and plumber. The jobs are done in such a way that grows the local economy and help those who have skills in artisanship in the communities”, he said.

    The governor stressed the need for the community leaders to ensure peace in their various communities even as the State prepares for the June 21 governorship election.

    According to him, while every citizen had a right to belong to an association of his choice, the leaders should ensure the political parties and their members in the communities conduct affairs in accordance with the law.

    The CDAs lauded Fayemi for introducing the grant-in-aid programme, which has enabled them revive and complete many projects which the communities have abandoned for lack of funds.

    The Commissioner for Rural Development and Community Empowerment, Folorunso Olabode, said the meeting became necessary to get feedback on the self-help projects even as the government merely provides the funds and monitors the execution of the projects.

  • Fayemi to VP Sambo: Ekiti not a war front

    Fayemi to VP Sambo: Ekiti not a war front

    •We need assurance that INEC will conduct credible poll

    Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has taken exception to Vice-President Namadi Sambo’s description of the state as a war front, saying that the remark is unbecoming of the number two citizen.

    He said the pronouncement, which was reminiscent of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s “do-or-die” slogan, may directly or indirectly provoke insecurity, ahead of the June 21 governorship poll.

    Describing the statement as worrisome and unfortunate, the governor said the state needed a cogent assurance by the Independent Natio0nal Electoral Commission (INEC) that it would conduct a credible poll.

    Fayemi spoke with reporters in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, at the weekend on the preparations for the election and implications of the Vice-President’s statement.

    He said: “The Vice-President is someone I relate with very well. He and I are on the board of the Nigeria Integrated Power Project (NIPP). He chairs the NIPP and I represent the Southwest in the power project in the country. Through that, we meet fairly regularly.

    “ The Vice-President has every right to push for his party in any election. That is his legitimate right. But, what the media reported him to have purportedly said was quite unfortunate because we are not at war in Ekiti. We have been here three and a half years and Ekiti is one of the most peaceful states in this country today. So, for somebody who occupies one of the highest offices in the land as our Vice President, to reduce the importance of his office and promote insecurity, either directly or by subterfuge, and in this case it is pretty much directly and it wasn’t used figuratively, he used it in a matter of fact that he was going to a war front.

    “It is very reminiscent of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s do-or-die statement, which is really unbecoming of the person who occupies the number two office in the land. I still would like to take the Vice-President on himself. I hope he would deny saying that and it would be some form of reassurance. I think it is the underlying text that should worry us.”

    Fayemi said the statement should be taken seriously by lovers of democracy and sanctity of the ballot box, in view of the unfolding alleged unruly behaviour of prominent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftains in the Southwest.

    He added: “ All of us also saw what happened at Ilaje-Ese Odo and the role played by a minister of government, who does not even come from the state and has no responsibility in the state. The Resident Electoral Commissioner came out openly and said ‘let them challenge what I’m telling you in your report. This was what this person did.’

    “The INEC ought to be sending a very strong signal to Mr. President himself that we would not take kindly to this kind of interference by the minister of state in an election that we want as a precursor for the 2015 presidential election”.

    The governor alleged that certain unscrupulous elements are sewing fake uniforms for fake soldiers and policemen, ahead of the election.

    Fayemi said: “Ihe Ekiti election is even far more important than the 2015 election because, if confidence is lost in INEC’s preparation and eventual implementation of the Ekiti election, that will rub off terribly on the 2015 election. I mean the INEC is already on the tenterhook. We know what happened in Anambra.

    “I think INEC together with Inter Agency Committee and Security that would be involved in the election to give people a lot of reassurance,, following the Vice President’s statement. I think it is very unfortunate. I think it is unbecoming of his office.

    “I think the Vice-President really ought to withdraw the statement and reassure Nigerians that the agenda for Ekiti election is not going to be determined in Aso Rock but by Ekiti people because it is a referendum on the performance of the current government in Ekiti. It is not a national election. It should not be reduced to a national election. So, that would be my reaction to the unfortunate remark of the Vice President”.

    Fayemi urged political leaders to learn from the lessons of history to avoid a repeat of the past tragedy that shook the nation to its foundation. He warned against bungling Ekiti poll as the INEC did in Anambra State, stressing out that the Ekiti will definitely react differently.

    He added: “This is Ekiti and people who are familiar with the history here would know that this is not a very good place to rig election. You can afford to manipulate elections in Anambra because Anambra has a lot of rich people who are even richer than the governor.

    “My friend, Peter Obi, used to say to me when he was still the governor that there were so many people with mobile police and security that they throw him off the street, even when he was still governor. So, election is not what Anambra people see as a big deal; yes, they are interested but it is not for them any big deal. In Ekiti, you will discover that everybody is interested in what happens because we have 2.5million governors in this state.

    “Every single indigene believes he has what it takes; that he understands government and that he knows how to govern. So, you can’t say such a person does not have an opinion. And when you try to manipulate elections in a place like Ekiti, the result has not been palatable. Whether you refer to 1964/65; Ekiti was even more of a resistance zone than Ikenne and, of course, when you talk of 1983, we all can remember what happened here. Even though our son was the person that perpetrated the crisis, they still did not spare him and his supporters.”

     

  • ‘Transformative leadership’ll earn governor another term’

    ‘Transformative leadership’ll earn governor another term’

    kiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi will be re-elected for a second term in the June 21 governorship election, based on his transformative leadership, his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Olayinka Oyebode, said yesterday at a forum in Ido-Ile.

    He said Ekiti people recognise and appreciate good work as well as good leaders and know how to give “appropriate” reward.

    According to the CPS, Fayemi has improved the quality of lives of the people and the various communities in the last three and a half years through innovation and prudent management of the resources of the state.

    According to him, while other aspirants would be labouring to convince the electorate on their ability, Fayemi’s record of achievements in education and human capital development, health care delivery, youth, women and community empowerment, gender empowerment, tourism development, modernised agriculture and the social security scheme would speak for him.

    Describing other aspirants as pretenders, Oyebode said Fayemi raised the bar of governance, adding that the Ekiti people, having tasted massive development by an accountable and compassionate administration are not prepared to go back to the era of brigandage that characterised the state between 2003 and 2010.

    He said: “Governor Fayemi knows where Ekiti should be in the next four years and has the roadmap and the ability to take the state and the people there. This is difference from other aspirants many of whom have no clear cut agenda. Till date, he remains the only one who has a clear vision of what he wants to do for the state and its people in the next four years.

    “Sometimes you laugh and cry when you hear some aspirants discuss their vision for the state. The other time one of them was discussing his educational plan, said he would change the name of the state university. Another said he would not take salary. I tell you Ekiti people have moved beyond these mundane and childish promises. Now is the time to tell the people what and what you would do to improve the education or tourism sector or else you have no business canvassing for their votes.”

    On the gale of violence in the state, Oyebode said the trend was a deliberate attempt by one of the candidates to hide his inadequacies.

     

    On the allegation by the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Opeyemi Bamidele that majority of the members of the state executive council are on his side, Oyebode said the allegation was not only puerile, but stood logic on the head.

    “I can tell you the entire members of the state executive council are solidly behind Governor Fayemi, because they are part and parcel of the administration and the re-election campaign. And you see them with him at every rally and also playing leading roles in the house-to-house campaign,” he said.

    On claims by Fayose that he was instrumental to Fayemi’s emergence as governor, Oyebode said that was another lie taken too far in the former governor’s desperate bid to seek relevance.

     

  • Fayemi assures pupils of free meals

    Fayemi assures pupils of free meals

    •Overseas training for teachers

    Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has said public school pupils will get free meals at the commencement of the new academic year in September, if he is re-elected on June 21.

    He spoke yesterday at Okemesi in Ekiti West Local Government Area while campaigning for his re-election.

    The governor said plans had been concluded to send teachers in public schools on training overseas to build their capacity for better performance.

    He said: “From September when the new school session commences, we shall begin free feeding in schools. We shall also send our teachers overseas because that is what we have been doing to core civil servants.

    “Our teachers too attended universities like core civil servants and they deserve the best of training in any part of the world to build their capacity to perform better.”

    Some members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP) defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) at Okemesi and pledged to work for Fayemi’s victory in the election.

    The PDP defectors were led by Mr. Adesegun Adetunji. Those from the LP were led by Mr. Temitope Olusegun.

    According to them, they are joining APC for the progress and development being witnessed since Fayemi came to power.

    Fayemi, who welcomed the defectors, described APC as a party of peace and progress, which has the interest of the masses at heart.

    He said the PDP mismanaged resources during its stint in power and the state was politically unstable.

    The governor said the PDP produced seven governors in seven years and urged the electorate not to return Ekiti to such era.

    He reminded the people that former Governor Ayo Fayose had three deputies before his impeachment, adding that there were also three House of Assembly speakers and three chief judges during the former governor’s tenure.

    Teachers, students, youths and the aged thanked the governor for giving them better lives and developing their community.

    The governor’s campaign train was also at Ido-Ile, Erio and Aramoko.

    Fayemi said the legacies of his administration could be seen in the renovation of schools and hospitals, construction of palaces and the Social Security Scheme for the Elderly.

    He said work was ongoing on the Okemesi/Ido-Ile road and the Okemesi/Esa-Oke road, adding that the projects would be completed soon.

    Fayemi urged the people to be wary of “the party of riggers”, adding that “the electoral robbers” were still around and should not be underestimated.

    Teachers in Okemesi, led by Mr. S.A. Adedigba, hailed Fayemi for paying allowances to teachers who teach core subjects and those in rural areas.

    Adedigba noted that head teachers now rise to Grade Level 17 and teachers are promoted as at when due.

    Kasali Oluwafemi, who spoke for students in the community, said the Fayemi administration spends N1.2 billion annually on stipends to old people, N2.4 billion on youth volunteers and N10 billion on laptops for teachers and pupils.

    He urged the electorate to “keep faith with a government that cares for the people” and not vote for parties that have failed them.

     

  • ‘Ekiti has improved on healthcare delivery’

    ‘Ekiti has improved on healthcare delivery’

    Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has scored his administration high in the provision of qualitative and affordable healthcare.

    Speaking in Ado-Ekiti at the kick off of the April 2014 National Immunization plus Days (NIPDs), Dr. Fayemi noted that vital health statistics have been upward looking since the advent of his administration in October, 2010.

    Speaking through his deputy, Prof. Modupe Adelabu, the governor said his administration’s health agenda was focused on the vulnerable, comprising expectant mothers, children aged 0 to five years, the elderly and the physically-challenged.

    He explained that offering health protection to expectant mothers and children was aimed at securing the future while catering for the elderly would protect the heroes that contributed to the society’s development.

    Reiterating his commitment to the sustenance of maternal and child health programmes, Fayemi solicited the continued support of stakeholders to achieve the desired goals.

    He said his administration’s programmes are designed to facilitate community ownership of health institutions, adding that Community Health Committees had been set up to drive the process and sustain the feedback mechanism.

    Fayemi urged parents and guardians to take immunisation seriously to protect their children against deadly diseases.

    He listed diseases targeted by the current round of immunisation as polio, tuberculosis, measles, yellow fever and pneumonia.

    Commissioner for Health Prof. Olusola Fasubaa, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Primary HealthCare Agency, Mrs. Folake Falore, said in spite of the huge success recorded in the last exercise, the government would not relax until the safety of children is guaranteed.

     

     

  • Fayemi: This election is about Ekiti’s future

    Fayemi: This election is about Ekiti’s future

    The Ekiti State All Progressives Congress (APC) has sealed the  endorsement of Governor Kayode Fayemi as its candidate for the June 21election in the Fountain of Knowledge  at its primaries in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital. Correspondent SULAIMAN SALAWUDEEN reports. 

    The delegates to the primaries came from 132 towns and villages across the far-flung state. They converged on the Trade Fair Complex, Ado Ekiti, the state capital with one accord. They had a mission. At exactly 11 am, the voting started. In the afternon, the result of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primaries was ready.

    Exuding happiness at the orderly conduct of the delegates, the Chairman of the six-member APC Primaries Panel, Senator Osita Izunaso, declared Governor Kayode Fayemi the winner and governorship candidate. On that note, his battle for re-election gathered momentum.

    Fayemi had no rival at the shadow poll. Thus, as the lone aspirant, the primaries paled into the ratification of his endorsement as the flag bearer by the party. The governor was conscious of the significance of the endorsement and its implication for the party. Thanking the delegates, Fayemi promised never to let them down. He said that the contest is not a personal battle, but the continuation of his rescue mission in Ekitiland.

    Few weeks ago, the war scholar and pro-democracy activist had collected his nomination form, in compliance with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) guidelines. However, before the governor signified his intention to seek a fresh mandate, many groups and associations have endorsed him for a second term. Also, party chieftains across the three senatorial districts, APC governors and other national leaders have endorsed him in Ado-Ekiti.

    For Fayemi, the intra-party contest was a walk over. Declaring him the winner, Izunaso, who is the APC Interim Organising Secretary, said that the governor polled 192, 767 votes. Other panel members-Alhaji Abubakar Suleja, Isah Maduto, Capt. Bala Jubril (rtd), Alhaji Yemi Sanusi, and Steve Asimoke-applauded the governor’s performance in the last three and half years, stressing that the bloc vote underscored his popularity.

    Fayemi was accompanied by his deputy, Prof. Modupe Adelabu, and his wife, Erelu Bisi Fayemi. Also, the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Dr. Adewale Omirin, Ekiti APC Interim Chairman Chief Jide Awe and the Chief of Staff, Mr. Yemi Adaramodu. witnessed the primaries.

    Fayemi expressed gratitude to the party for its unflinching support, love and solidarity. He noted that there was no case of unruly behaviour among delegates. He hailed the validity of internal democracy, saying that the APC has become a model for consolidating democracy. Fayemi said that the process was as important as the real election, adding that it signified the APC’s commitment to transparency.

    The historic exercise trailed the governor’s endorsement for a second term in December 2012 by stakeholders at Iyin-Ekiti. The endorsement was tagged: “Iyin Accord.”

    The “Iyin Accord,” according to party chieftains, was a watershed. The accord, in their view, was designed by party leaders to give the signal that Fayemi’s mandate would be renewed by the progressive family in Ekiti.

    The meeting where the ‘Accord’ was reached was actually held at the instance of the former Governor Adeniyi Adebayo, who is the Southwest APC leader. At the meeting were party elders, top government officials, women and youth leaders from 16 councils. They said that Fayemi deserved a second term because he has performed as governor.

    At the meeting, party leaders also reflected on the future of the state. After reviewing the activities of Fayemi Administration, they resolved to vote for continuity in 2014. Speakers included Adebayo, Senator Tony Adeniyi (Ekiti South), Dr. Omirin, Hon. Ife Arowosoge, Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr. Ganiyu Owolabi, and Chief Ronke Okusanya. According to them, the developmental efforts of the administration must continue beyond this year.

    Adebayo hailed the stakeholders for endorsing Fayemi for another term, noting that the governor has impacted positively on the lives of the people. “I think he deserves a second term, just as our people are clamouring,” Adebayo said.

    Awe, who was the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Chairman, also aligned with the position of the party elders. He said that Fayemi has become the toast of the party because he has lived up to expectation. He said that the ‘Iyin Accord’ was not “by accident, but a deliberate attempt to show appreciation for what the governor has done in the transformation of the state.”Awe said the feats included infrastructural development, financial empowerment, job creation and social security scheme for elderly citizens.

    Also, in July last year, the ACN National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and the National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, visited the Ekiti progressive family at Ado-Ekiti. At the meeting, Tinubu put another seal on the gale of endorsements. It was witnessed by former Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Chief Dele Alake, the party’s National Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and Senator James Kolawole. Also present were Deputy Governor Adelabu, Adebayo, Omirin and Adaramodu, Senators Babafemi Ojudu (Ekiti Central), Adeniyi (Ekiti South) and Olubunmi Adetumbi (Ekiti North), and Arowosoge. Commissioners, special advisers and assistants, local government chairmen and party officials were also there.

    Tinubu, who spoke for about one and a half hours, said the visit was to settle the misunderstanding within the party, ahead of the poll. He said: “We have not come to impose somebody on you. We have come just to settle a quarrel. Americans would normally say, if the bicycle is not faulty, you don’t take it to the repairer. Fayemi has passed; will you promote him or not?” The question drew a deafening ‘yes’ from the audience.

    Tinubu said that Ekiti was witnessing a “kukulaja”, which translates to “the fiery creature at the rooftop”. It was a vague reference to the personality clashes between Fayemi and the House of Representatives member, Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele, who also had the intention of running for ther governorship. The National Leader added: “When we got there (the political headship of the state), why would we not know how to manage our success? If anyone here knows Opeyemi, tell him that Jagaban has sent you to him to drop his ambition. Invite him and appeal to him. We will return later to do official endorsement”.

    Tinubu urged Fayemi and the party leadership to work for reconciliation. He said: “There is no shame in politics; everyone’s turn would come sooner than later.”

    Akande also called for a truce. He observed that the party would confront three challenges: how to merge with other parties without experiencing cultural hiccups, how to position the party for the elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states and how to unseat the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from national leadership.

    He stressed: “We are going to merge with another party, but is our culture going to change? Three elections are on the way, but how do we prepare for them? The last task is how do we remove the PDP from Abuja? Our mission today is to set in motion processes to settle our in-house misunderstanding. If any exists, we must settle it to move ahead.”

    However, the endorsement of Fayemi by the party leadership did not go down well with some members. Bamidele objected to the endorsement, saying that it was not a collective decision.

    He said: “The endorsement of the governor by a section of our party is a step that is allowed in politics. But I want to say that other party members who are interested in the position can still show interest. ACN is not a lawless party. It is a party that believes in the rule of law and democratic tenets, so I am confident that the rules will be followed strictly under this circumstance”.

    But, sources disclosed that Bamidele never disclosed his plans to contest the governorship to the party leadership.

    Before the last weekend primaries, Fayemi has kicked off his campaign in Ado-Ekiti. The campaign train has not stopped since then. It has rolled into some local governments with a mammoth crowd coming to affirm his endorsement as the flag bearer.

     

  • Fayemi scores Ekiti high on healthcare delivery

    Fayemi scores Ekiti high on healthcare delivery

    Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has scored his administration high in the provision of qualitative and affordable healthcare.

    Speaking in Ado-Ekiti at the kick off of the April 2014 National Immunization plus Days (NIPDs), Dr. Fayemi noted that vital health statistics have been upward looking since the advent of his administration in October, 2010.

    Speaking through his deputy, Prof. Modupe Adelabu, the governor said his administration’s health agenda was focused on the vulnerable, comprising expectant mothers, children aged 0 to five years, the elderly and the physically-challenged.

    He explained that offering health protection to expectant mothers and children was aimed at securing the future while catering for the elderly would protect the heroes that contributed to the society’s development.

    Reiterating his commitment to the sustenance of maternal and child health programmes, Fayemi solicited the continued support of stakeholders to achieve the desired goals.

    He said his administration’s programmes are designed to facilitate community ownership of health institutions, adding that Community Health Committees had been set up to drive the process and sustain the feedback mechanism.

    Fayemi urged parents and guardians to take immunisation seriously to protect their children against deadly diseases.

    He listed diseases targeted by the current round of immunisation as polio, tuberculosis, measles, yellow fever and pneumonia.

    Commissioner for Health Prof. Olusola Fasubaa, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Primary HealthCare Agency, Mrs. Folake Falore, said in spite of the huge success recorded in the last exercise, the government would not relax until the safety of children is guaranteed.

  • Forget about winning, APC youths tell Fayose

    Forget about winning, APC youths tell Fayose

    The National Youth Vanguard of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has told the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) flag bearer in the June 21 governorship election in Ekiti State, former Governor Ayo Fayose, to forget about winning the poll.

    The youths and the Director-General of Governor Kayode Fayemi’s campaign organisation, Mr. Daramola Abimbola, were at Fayose’s stronghold in Ado-Ekiti – Falegan Abekoko, which consists of three communities, on Sunday, to campaign for Fayemi.

    Coordinator of the Youth Vanguard in Ekiti State Dare Ajayi said by coming out en masse, residents were telling Fayose to forget about winning the election.

    Southwest Coordinator of the Youth Vanguard Majeed Yahaya said: “Fayose should hands of, as the APC is ready to win Ekiti with an unprecedented margin in the history of elections in Nigeria. The APC National Youth Vanguard will put in place strategies to prevent rigging in the election.”

     

  • Our prayers’ll give you victory, senior citizens assure Fayemi

    Our prayers’ll give you victory, senior citizens assure Fayemi

    Senior citizens in Ekiti West Local Government Area trooped out yesterday to the campaign grounds of the All Progressives Congress (APC), where they assured Governor Kayode Fayemi of their votes in the June 21 election.

    The elders, all above 65 years, are beneficiaries of the Fayemi administration’s Social Security Scheme for the Elderly.

    They pledged their votes for the governor, saying: “We have been more than protected by your large heart. While wishing you God’s protection, we pledge to vote for you and work for your victory in the election.”

    Communities visited by the campaign train were Ipole-Iloro, Ikogosi and Erijiyan, where the governor urged the people to be vigilant on the election day and protect their votes from being stolen.

    He expressed confidence that projects executed in the communities would motivate the electorate to re-elect him and ensure continuity of the development witnessed across the state.

    Fayemi said besides the transformation of the Ikogosi Warm Spring Resort, his administration built the palace of the town’s monarch and its indigenes benefitted from job opportunities created by the government.

    He said the community benefitted from the construction of five-kilometer roads in each council.

    The governor said his administration was ready to commence work on the second phase of the Ikogosi Warm Spring Resort, which would include a hotel, golf course and game reserve.

    At Ipole-Iloro, Fayemi pledged to transform the Arinta Waterfall into an international tourist centre and begin the reconstruction of the Ipole-Ogotun road in six months.

    He said the Ikogosi-Ipole road, which was abandoned by previous Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administrations, was fixed by his administration.

    According to him, a vote for the APC would ensure continuity of good policies, good governance and more dividends of democracy.

    Fayemi pledged to reconstruct the Aramoko-Erijiyan-Ikogosi road and roads leading to farmsteads.

    He said soldiers would be brought to protect the people and tighten security at the Ikogosi Warm Spring Resort, adding that a police station is being built at the resort.

    Members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Ekiti West Local Government, under the chairmanship of Mr. Fatai Oluyede, said teachers were behind Fayemi because of the various incentives they have enjoyed under his administration.

    Oluyede listed special allowances for teachers in rural areas and those teaching core subjects; distribution of laptops to teachers and regular payment of leave bonuses and salaries as some of the incentives.

    He also hailed Fayemi for giving new cars to teachers.

    At Ikogosi, Mrs. Beatrice Kolawole, who spoke for beneficiaries of the Social Security Scheme for the elderly, said: “It is only if Fayemi withdraws from the race that he will not come back to office because old people are praying for his success in the election.

    “We shall all vote for you. If the law of the land permits you, we want you to be there for as long as possible. We appreciate you and pray that God will keep you there for us.”

    A student leader in the community, Oluwatosin Ogunkuade, hailed Fayemi for transforming the Ikogosi Warm Spring into an international tourist centre, assuring him of not less than 90 per cent of votes in the community.

    At Erijiyan, a student leader in the community, Damilare Bewaji, said Fayemi deserves to be re-elected because he renovated the town’s secondary school, gave laptops to students and youths benefited from his administration’s empowerment schemes.

    He warned the people to be wary of one of the governorship candidates, who brutalised students about 10 years ago, saying Fayemi has empowered students to be 21st Century compliant.

    A member of the House of Representatives, who hails from the community, Mr. Oyetunde Ojo, said Ekiti is lucky to have Fayemi at the helm of affairs, noting that the governor has fulfilled his promises to the people.

    The lawmaker, who represents Ekiti Central II, said Erijiyan is wearing a new look owing to various projects executed by the Fayemi administration and urged the people to vote for the governor on June 21.

    Fayemi said the construction of the Erijiyan-Aramoko road has been incorporated in the 2014 Budget and work would soon start.

    He said the Erijiyan water project would be commissioned soon and water would flow in every home, adding that the court complex in the community had been completed.

    The governor warned the people against selling their voter cards to desperate politicians.