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Tag: stomach infrastructure

  • The second coming of Kayode Fayemi and the challenge of “stomach infrastructure” in its many manifestations, open and not so open

    Of the many fascinating jokes, tales and fables in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, my favorite pertains to – stomach infrastructure. Here it is. We are at the feast marking the last act in the funeral ceremonies for a departed elder, a man of great substance when he was alive. Since the death of such a personage is considered, not a sorrowful event but a matter for joyous celebration, there is much to eat and drink at this ceremony that takes place early in the plot of the novel. Never one to miss an opportunity for feasting and merriment, Okonkwo’s (the protagonist of the novel) father, Unoka, is visibly, merrily and jocosely present at this social wake.

    It is in this context, in this mood that he gives the sardonic joke which I regard as a vintage expression of stomach infrastructure. Speaking to another elder, Unoka remarks casually that at funerals, the only part of the dead man or woman that interests him, the only part of the body that he looks at very closely, is the mouth. As expected, this comment startles the elder to whom it is addressed. To the question why he finds the mouth of the departed the main point of his interest, Unoka declares that the mouth is only useful when one is alive, that once one has died, it is no longer possible to eat, to consume. For this reason, Unoka concludes his grotesque narrative by declaring that in looking closely at the mouth of a deceased person, he is reminding himself, Unoka, to eat as much as he can while still alive because on one fateful day, death will end the possibility of eating forever.

    One could easily and justifiably say that this sardonic philosophy of eating as much as one can while one is alive is nothing but the tongue-in-cheek self-justification of a hedonist. In other words, although Unoka is a poor and unsuccessful man – in sharp contrast to his son, Okonkwo – what he says of the mouth and eating could as well have been said by a very rich man who loves food and drinks and all the god things of life. But, pointedly, Unoka is not a rich man; he is not a successful man; he is a man that is not only perpetually indebted to many creditors, he is famous for using his considerable gift of eloquence and wit to frustrate the attempts of his creditors to make him pay off his debts. For this reason, what he says about eating as much as one can eat while still alive is the “philosophy”, the worldview of a person on whom life circumstances have imposed this grotesque edification of eating as the be-all and end-all of life. What is this if not stomach infrastructure at its most unvarnished and elemental?

    But, please note that in his society and time, Unoka is one man among many other men. Indeed, Achebe makes much of this fact: Unoka is almost like no other man in his society, a society that places great value in hard work, self-reliance and what one achieves by oneself as distinguished from what one inherits from one’s parents and forbears. In other words, in the society, time and place depicted in Things Fall Apart, Unoka’s “stomach infrastructure” is considered an aberration, not the norm. Yes, Achebe makes Unoka a very sympathetic character: he is a gifted flutist, a brilliant raconteur and a spinner of delightful yarns. When they take him to the “evil bush” to die completely alone and sequestered from all other men and women after he is stricken by the “swollen disease”, he asks that he be allowed to take his flute with him, meaning that even alone and deathly sick in the wilderness, he will still try to find some joy, some poetry in what remains of his life. But all the same, with regards to his chosen pact with “stomach infrastructure”, he is alone, partly by choice but mostly due to the political economy of his society in which gifted flutists that cannot also be hardworking and successful farmers, hunters and/or warriors have little to validate both their social existence and their individual identities. After all, the society depicted in Things Fall Apart is a pre-capitalist society; markets, traders and even incipient commercialists have emerged, but surplus accumulation is still so minimal that class differentiation, as distinct from social status, is as yet nowhere in sight.

    The point in this long introduction to this essay via our comments on Things Fall Apart is that “stomach infrastructure” takes many forms and has existed for a long time, going back to a time, a political economy in which it was not recognized as a social phenomenon. In that novel, it is “recognized” in only one man who is atypical in the social division of labour in his society. In our time of a full-blown if endlessly wasteful and unregenerate capitalism, those driven to “stomach infrastructure”, by choice and by socio-economic compulsion, are numbered in their millions, in their tens of millions. And although thanks to Ayodele Fayose, Ekiti has come to be known as the “stomach infrastructure state”, the phenomenon exists and is rampant in all the thirty-six states of the federation. For instance, in the governorship elections of Ondo State in November 2016, “stomach infrastructure” through vote-buying by the two main contending political parties, the APC and the PDP, was so rampant that the electorate gave the practice, the phenomenon one of its most cynical but also inventive appellations: “dibo, koo se’be”! A completely literal translation of this expression is, “vote so you can cook your stew”. Expansively, it of course means, “sell your vote and the next meal for you (and your family) is assured”!

    Of course, we know that “stomach infrastructure” is not limited to vote-buying during elections. It extends into post-election governance as a mode of making the electorate, the ruled complicitous in their exploitation and immiseration. Stomach infrastructure even takes place between elections and for this reason, it has penetrated deep into the political culture of our country and many other countries on our continent and other parts of the developing world. As a matter of fact, long before Fayose systematized the phenomenon as an important policy initiative of his rule as governor, “stomach infrastructure” was known and very widely identified in Africanist academic circles as the “politics of the belly”. Indeed, there is a book of that title that has become a classic of postcolonial African political science.

    For me, one of the most intriguing manifestations of “stomach infrastructure” in our country in the last three to four years can be found in the fact that Kayode Fayemi, the man against whom Fayose invoked and entrenched the phenomenon as a policy initiative, this same man, our own Left-leaning Kayode Fayemi, has on some occasions found it expedient to engage in his own observance and practice of “stomach infrastructure”, either through the APC or directly, through the John Kayode Fayemi Leadership Centre in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital. For instance, in mid-2016, the JKF Leadership Centre, under its Director, Mr. Abiodun Omoleye, began distributing a long list of food items like rice, salt, sugar, milk, spaghetti, wheat, semolina and gari to many segments of the Ekiti state citizenry. These included civil servants, artisans, nursing mothers, disabled women and men, Okada riders, students and unemployed people, this on a periodic basis. I do not know how long it lasted; however, I do know that Fayemi, through the Director of the Centre that he founded and named for himself, gave an eloquent justification of the practice that deliberately tried to distinguish and distance it from Fayose’s “stomach infrastructure”. Speaking foe Fayemi, Omoleye described what the Centre was doing as a sort of humanitarian relief for the poor and the hungry in a time when the “wind of poverty” was blowing like a storm across Ekiti State. He asserted that it was a moral and spiritual obligation for the wealthy, the more fortunate citizens, to express solidarity with those in society that are less fortunate, especially given the fact that they are in the solid majority of the population. And he explicitly stated that he hoped other fortunate Nigerians would join him to carry out the same sort of humanitarian relief to the poor and the needy. All well and good; but we cannot ignore the fact that by 2016, two years after Fayose defeated him in the 2014 elections, everyone knew that Fayemi was going to contest the elections in 2018. Cynical “stomach infrastructure” refined and retooled as humanitarian solidarity? I leave this to the judgment of the reader!

    On that point, we come to perhaps the most important aspect of this discussion. For this reason, I will go over what is entailed in the issue very carefully. First, I suggest that it is a sort of backhanded homage to Kayode Fayemi that of all the 36 states of the federation, it was in Ekiti State and as a dialectical reaction to his rule that “stomach infrastructure”, a practice of cynical manipulation of the oppressed and the exploited, was first systematized and made a significant addition to the lexicon of political action and analysis in our country. Fayose, the man who carried out this feat, operated on the basis of linking two completely different and separate words and ideas – stomach and infrastructure – together. He did this because among all the executive governors in Nigeria, Fayemi it was who had tried as much as possible to place an emphasis on infrastructures, more specifically, infrastructural development. Definitely, it is debatable how much actual, measurable infrastructural development took place in his first term as Governor, together with how much the cost was. But it is totally undebatable that it was Fayemi, more than any other governor, who tirelessly stated that any state in Nigeria or the developing world cannot, or must not, always spend the lion’s share on recurrent expenditure at the expense of infrastructures and capital projects. He was so insistent on this point that the word “infrastructure” became rather tiresome to the people of Ekiti state, especially as unemployment, poverty and despair did not decrease at all. And it was at that point that the native genius of Fayose linked that tiresome word, “infrastructure” with “stomach”, the word that everyone, the poor especially, was shouting to anyone who could and would listen to them.

    We must move to the concluding section of this piece. Theoretically and practically, one of the worst effects of the advent of “stomach infrastructure” into both the lexicon and the practice of governance in our country is that it has transformed long-term and long-range infrastructural development into the polar opposite of the satisfaction of vital and immediate needs of life. Yes, everybody treats “stomach infrastructure” as a joke, a cynical joke. But it is practiced widely, both openly and covertly and in every state, every region, every locality in the nation. As we have remarked earlier in this essay, Ekiti happens to be its locus of final domestication, thanks to the completely unashamed cynicism and opportunism of Ayodele Fayose who went as far as to appoint a Special Adviser for Special Duties and Stomach Infrastructures! Here, we come to perhaps the single most important issue in this piece. I will bring the essay to its conclusion by giving a brief elaboration of this point.

    The “genius” displayed, the interest generated by the term “stomach infrastructure” seems to be based on a play on words and terms: infrastructure is taken out of where we normally find it and linked with – stomach. But the source of its impact is not merely and only linguistic; more properly, it is socio-economic. In other words, it was because under Kayode Fayemi, the people of Ekiti State were feeling a great, burdensome tension, a contradiction perhaps, between infrastructural development and the demands of keeping body and soul alive and well, it was because of this that Fayose found a niche into which to insert his opportunism, his street-smart politics of the belly. That tension, that contradiction has not disappeared in the four years that Fayose took over from Fayemi. And now that he is coming back, Fayemi will be tested again, I dare say, almost to a breaking point. I am assuming that he has not given up, that he will not give up on finding a sustaining balance between “infrastructure” and “stomach”, between building production capacities for the long haul and satisfying consumption of food, goods and services in the immediate present.

    Ekiti is one of the poorest states in the nation, at least in terms of revenue from the Federation Account; it is first to the last three among the 36 states, Cross River State and Osun State being the only two states behind it. In addition to this, Ekiti is also one of the most highly indebted states in the nation. But in terms of human and natural endowments and resources, it is potentially one of the richest states in the country. If he has learnt the right lessons from the Fayose interregnum, these are factors and forces of production that Fayemi can count on. But he is in the wrong party to bring this about. But that is another story entirely.

    Biodun Jeyifo

    bjeyifo@fas.harvard.edu

     

  • Ekiti: The triumph of stomach infrastructure

    If history is classified as truly the prerogative of the victor, then one concept likely to be revisited in the times ahead will be the vexatious “stomach infrastructure”. Ordinarily, the imagery evoked would perhaps not be more than the entrails of oesophagus, kidneys, intestines down to the rectum in human skeleton commonly displayed in the biology lab.

    But not until after Ayo Fayose’s dramatic reincarnation in Ekiti in 2014. To rout then incumbent Kayode Fayemi (JKF) so resoundingly, the magic formula was easily narrowed down to the “empowerment” of prospective voters with edibles like rice, chicken enhanced with a few bank notes. An improvement on the tankers of water Fayose had dispensed arduously to thirsty neighbourhoods for months preceding the 2003 polls where he similarly secured an upset victory over incumbent Niyi Adebayo.

    Given its demonstrable efficacy over two election seasons, that illicit tactic, for want of a more elegant camouflage, soon became known simply as “stomach infrastructure”, patented as Fayose’s own unique contribution to Nigeria’s political evolution. Officially, a government department would even be designated in Ado-Ekiti for such transaction.

    But the supreme irony is that, today, not many would remember that the etymology of “stomach infrastructure” is actually traceable to the very denunciation of what it came to symbolize and the enunciator, its first notable casualty.

    To begin with, the sophisticate in JKF could not understand why his clansmen in his own native Isan would prefer his modest convoy still blare the siren, even in the dead of night, when returning from the state capital. Perhaps, just to remind those in neighboring communities that their illustrious son was now the “gomina” (as the locals pronounce governor).

    Again, while pontificating much earlier on the challenge of public service as Ekiti governor, JKF would express great difficulty in managing the expectations of party leaders.

    When the chips were down at party caucus, no one, he revealed with a tinge of frustration, ever disputed the government’s claims that public funds were being deployed with a view to meeting the deficits in social infrastructure. Rather, often audible at such party fellowship was a grumble that similar effort was not being made “to develop our own stomach infrastructure” as stakeholders. Put starkly, the party barons were sneering in the manner of buccaneers, “Is it road or hospital that will fill our own bellies?”

    For stomachs now distended from years of addiction to gobbling both the proverbial yam and seedlings, prohibitive is the cost of sustainance indeed.

    So, really, “stomach infrastructure” was meant to be despicable as against the populism now associated with it; a preference for self-interest against the common good.

    It is perhaps a measure of the debasement of politics that it became glorified under Fayose.

    Having said that, let it also be stated that no comfort was provided nor hope offered with the widespread reports that JKF’s camp too resorted to massive deployment of the same “stomach infrastructure” to overrun Fayose (aka Oshoko) and Kolapo Olusola-Eleka last Saturday.

    Going by reports, it was a big bazaar in which the highest bidder eventually prevailed. For once, Fayose was beaten at his own game. Civil servants received a curious N3,000 bank credit alert on the election eve for starters.

    Those able to show proof of “performance” on the D-Day got further N4,000 from PDP. With the aid of technology, that was not too difficult to ascertain. Snapshot of thumbprinted ballot taken with the camera device of the cellphone handset was all required to cash the money from the paymaster lurking around the corner.

    The process was known as “see and buy”.

    But not to worry, APC had the answer. Perhaps to exert the fabled “federal might”, the JKF canvassers outspent the main opposition by shelling out N10,000. In an economy where civil servants and pensioners had not received wages and pension for months, the bait was simply too irresistible.

    So, in a way, the most appetizing “stomach infrastructure” carried the day in Ekiti on July 14.

    All said, for Fayemi, this must be a tempting moment indeed. In the topsy- turvy of politics, staging a comeback is not always an easy feat, much less an opportunity to make up for yesterday’s failing. With hitherto blustering Fayose now left to clear the debris of the routing of last weekend, it will – let us face it – require uncommon self-restrant on JKF’s part to resist being triumphalist, even vengeful.

    Sweet must be the victory in which providence puts you in a position to exact from an old foe a pound of flesh, an eye for an eye. If Fayose trounced him in all the 16 councils in 2014 including the sitting governor’s own ward, APC pulled not only 12 councils but capped Oshoko’s humiliation by also flooring him in his own council this time. More, the memory many will probably clutch for a long time is the grotesque glimpse of a weeping Fayose in a makeshift neck brace lamenting police assault on the election eve. (To say nothing about the countless videos by mischief-makers currently trending in the social media making a caricature of those rare gubernatorial tears.)

    Of course, now easily forgotten is the no less pathetic picture of a Fayemi looking dazed in his first public appearance with Fayose after the shock defeat of 2014.

    For JKF, besides Oshoko, there must be a temptation to also stomp over Iroko in neighboring Ondo State. The bitterness against Olusegun Mimiko is undoubtedly fed by the feeling of betrayal in 2014. As Ondo governor then, the latter furnished the launching pad for PDP to annexe Ekiti and humble Fayemi.

    Intoxicated by the company of new political friends, Iroko had forgotten so suddenly the brotherhood they both shared during their epic battle in the court between 2007 and 2010 to recover their stolen mandates.

    Then, 2016 presented a chance to pay Mimiko back in his own crooked coin. Iroko was made to watch, with his own eyes, his bid to foist his surrogate as successor in Akure White House thwarted  by APC forces coordinated by Fayemi as federal minister. The operation was most savagely clinical. Perhaps, that should be expected of a man whose doctorate was on War Strategies.

    So, as Mimiko retreated to his native native Ondo town later in February 2017 with tail gathered between his legs, Fayemi’s throaty, gap-toothed laughter surely echoed through the surrounding Ore forest.

    Now, as the Ekiti Governor-elect contemplates his second coming, vengeance would be seductive. But from experience, witchhunt often ends up a costly distraction, sapping the energies that could have been put to more productive use.

    If nothing at all, the results of last Saturday’s exercise surely call for worry. Whereas voters’ turnout may suggest increased participation relative to 2014, the margin however portrays a population sharply polarized. In 2014, total votes cast was 360,455 compared to last Saturday’s 403,451.

    But whereas PDP had secured an emphatic 56 percent then leaving APC a distant 33 percent behind, APC won PDP by a narrow edge of less than five percent last Saturday. In case he chooses not to try the old dirty tactic of inducement to expand his support base, the incoming governor should brace for hostility from the state assembly dominated by PDP.

    The burden thus imposed on the victor is the urgency to initiate moves that would rebuild trust and mobilize more of the unbelievers behind a common purpose with a view to making his second coming more impactful.

    Good enough, JKF already enjoys the vantage of experience, having served out apprenticeship in his first incarnation. For instance, Ekiti certainly does not need an airport at the moment; not with the Akure airport in neighbouring Ondo grossly underutilized. Its resources are better channeled into providing amenities that impact directly on the lives of the common people.

    Indeed, Ekiti of the future should seek to build on its area of comparative advantage. One such sector is the knowledge economy. Long before it became renowned as home to a chain of reputable higher institutions, Ekiti had earned the reputation as the community with perhaps the highest academic doctorates per capital in the country. lts compact topography makes it one of the most navigable provinces in Nigeria. It only requires clear thinking to cultivate these resources with a view to making it the preferred destination for education tourism, thereby amplifying its self-classification as the “fountain of knowledge”.

    What will JKF make of the uncommon gift history has now presented – a second chance?

     

  • Ekiti must grow beyond stomach infrastructure, says Buhari

    •Senators, others dump PDP for APC

    President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday urged the people of Ekiti State to vote for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Saturday’s governorship election.

    He said the people of the Fountain of Knowledge should not allow themselves to be insulted by the stomach infrastructure policy being promoted by Governor Ayo Fayose.

    The nation’s number one citizen said Ekiti should grow beyond stomach infrastructure vote APC to enjoy god governance, development, better standard of living and infrastructure development.

    He expressed regrets that many politicians have been capitalising on the herdsmen crisis in some parts of the country accusing him of not doing anything because he is Fulani.

    Describing the allegation as a “cheap blackmail,” Buhari said protection of life and property of Nigerians is paramount to him noting that measures are being taken to put an end to the herdsmen’s onslaught.

    Buhari spoke on Tuesday at the grand finale governorship rally held at the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium, Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, where APC national leaders and governors canvassed for votes for the flag bearer, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

    The President described Fayemi as competent, capable and experienced enough to be elected governor again noting that the APC flag bearer served excellently well as Minister of Mines and Steel Development.

    He said Ekiti get its fair share of resources and projects from the Federal Government despite the political difference between the government at the centre and state government.

    Joining Buhari at the rally are Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha; Governors Abdulazeez Yari (Zamfara), Abubakar Sani Bello (Niger), Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Kashim Shettima (Borno), Umaru Al Makura (Nasarawa) and Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki represented by his deputy, Philip Shaibu.

    Ministers who attended the rally include Rotimi Amaechi (Transportation), Babatunde Fashola (Power, Works and Housing), Chris Ngige (Labour and Employment), Ogbonnaya Onu (Science and Technology), Adebayo Shittu (Communications) and Abdulrahman Danbazzau (Interior).

    Thousands of residents defied Fayose’s order to stay at home and thronged the stadium to welcome the President who first paid courtesy visit to the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe and other traditional ruler at the palace.

    Commercial activities were going on at the city’s main markets while many commercial drivers and motorcycle riders plied their trade on the major roads.

    Buhari, whose helicopter touched down at about 12.35 pm at Christ’s School sports field headed to the Ewi’s Palace where the monarchs were waiting to receive him.

    At the palace, Oba Adejugbe, advocated for creation of cottage industries in Ekiti to generate jobs for the unemployed. He urged Fayemi to do more for the people if he wins the poll and is sworn in again.

    At the stadium, Buhari said Ekiti people are dear to him which explained why many indigenes of the state got very important appointments in his administration including the most senior military officer in the land, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin.

    The President said he and his party have not only come to campaign for the votes of Ekiti people but to key in to the change agenda and vote APC.

    He disclosed that the APC-led Federal Government has carried out laudable projects including construction and rehabilitation of 13 federal roads including Ikole-Omuo Road, Efon Alaaye-Iwaraja Road, Ido-Ifaki Road, Ado-Ifaki Road, Ila-Ilale-Ekan-Otun Road and internal roads at Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE).

    Buhari said his administration also awarded contract for a Federal Secretariat which is under construction in Ekiti to ensure that federal civil servants have office accommodation.

    He noted that a National Housing Project to provide accommodation for residents was extended to Ekiti State by his administration which has also generated jobs for local artisans.

    The President further explained that thousands of Ekiti residents benefited from the social investment programmes of his administration including Npower for youths, School Feeding for primary school pupils, Conditional Cash Transfer and several tranches of bailout funds.

    Urging Ekiti electorate to vote Fayemi, Buhari said: “Don’t allow yourself to be blackmailed by stomach infrastructure, your future is in your hand, you must grow beyond stomach infrastructure.

    “Ekiti should do the right thing by voting APC and commence the journey to reclaim your land and restore your values.

    “I recommend Fayemi to you, he served as Minister of Mines and Steel

    Development, he is experienced. Don’t waste your vote, vote Dr. Kayode Fayemi.”

    APC National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, urged Ekiti voters to elect Fayemi and reject PDP which he accused of inflicting hardship of non-payment of salaries on civil servants, teachers and local government workers.

    Oshiomhole accused Fayose of pocketing the over N20 billion bailout funds given to him by the Buhari administration to pay arrears of workers’ salaries and dancing “kurukere” when workers are suffering.

    He disclosed that he held a meeting with labour unions in Ekiti on Monday where he gave a commitment that Fayemi would pay all the outstanding arrears owed by Fayose to give relief to workers.

    Oshiomhole said: “I have served as a guarantor that Fayemi will pay the arrears of workers’ salaries when elected and he will ensure that all Ekiti people get what is due to them.

    “Four years ago, I was a sitting governor of Edo State and I wanted to come and campaign for Fayemi in the 2014 election but the PDP made sure that I did not have the opportunity to come and campaign for the then incumbent Fayemi.

    “Mr. President, we thank you and we know that you will not do the same, we are not here for revenge. Fayose has been trying to divert attention, he abused INEC, Police and he is behaving like a typical armed robber.

    “Fayose has resorted to very primitive tactics, he gave unlawful order that all shops be closed and manipulated drivers not to bring out their vehicles to convey people here.

    “This boy (Fayose) is a poor student of student thuggery; nothing, absolutely nothing can stop people that are determined. The President is proud that you defied his tactics and came here today.

    “You will vote freely and fairly and nothing will happen. Whoever Fayose demotes, Fayemi will promote him and whoever Fayose dismisses, Fayemi will reinstate.

    “All of you go to your polling units with your PVCs and by Saturday, Fayose will cry.”

    APC National Leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu urged Ekiti electorate to reject the PDP which he described as a “party of looters.”

    Tinubu described APC as a pain killer that will put an end to the pains being experienced by Ekiti people and Nigerians at large.

    He said Buhari built three refineries for Nigeria but the PDP government dismantled and sold them off leaving Nigerians to suffer.

    Tinubu said: “They (PDP) stole all the money, what do you have left in the treasury? PDP is a party of destruction, it is Poverty Development Party.

    “When they stole your money, they stole your life, they stole your future. APC is here to rebuild what has been destroyed. We thank God for the party under the leadership of our Baba, President Buhari.

    “APC is the pain killer, my mama used to give me APC when I was young.

    When you vote APC, you are voting for future, you are voting for the sake of your children.

    “It is not for the sake of Kayode (Fayemi), he had an appointment in Abuja but he has come back to serve you. If you want Ekiti to look like Lagos, to witness development and have your children in schools, vote APC.

    “Don’t let anybody intimidate you, you will be protected, nobody can intimidate you. If you want to eat the seed inside palm kernel, it will not be easy/

    “You can’t sleep at home and be expecting power, nobody serves it in a restaurant. No matter the level of their lies, propaganda and intimidation, fear has gripped them.

    “Vote and stand by your vote, it will not be like that of 2014. It is your turn to get your government for your good and progress, go there on Saturday and vote APC.”

    Fayemi promised return of good governance to Ekiti if the people of the state elect him. He commended the people for trooping out in large numbers for the rally to welcome the President.

    He said the party is united after the primary noting that all governorship aspirants who contested for the party’s ticket with him are resolute to ensure victory for the party.

    Fayemi said: “During my time, there is no community that did not benefit from our government. If we did not construct your road, we built your school, if we did not build your school, we constructed palace for your Kabiyesi, if we did not build palace for your Kabiyesi, we fixed your drains.

    “We did all that, we did not owe workers a single Naira; we paid the elderly, we paid free WAEC, NECO, JAMB, NABTEB fees. We increased workers salaries (minimum wage) from N8,500 to N13,000 and then to N19,000.

    “We were the first to pay Rural Teachers Allowance in Nigeria, Core Teachers Allowance. I am running on a track record of service in all constituencies, there is no single community that did not benefit from our (first) tenure.

    “Why am I back? President did not sack me (as minister). My people need me for reclaiming your land and restoring our values. Your PVCs must be ready because the power of the people is greater than the people in power.”

    Chairman of APC National Campaign Council for Ekiti State governorship election, Kebbi State Governor Bagudu said the magnitude of crowd that thronged the stadium was a pointer to an APC victory on Saturday.

    Bagudu said Ekiti has the best potential to develop under Fayemi noting that Ekiti people appreciated what he did during his first tenure.

    “Go to your polling units on Saturday and vote APC; guard your votes, don’t be intimidated. President Buhari has assured that security will be provided and your votes will count,” Bagudu said.

    Yari, who is also the Chairman of Nigeria Governor’s Forum (NGF) said Fayose held its rally on the streets last week because he was afraid of an empty stadium.

     

  • ‘Don’t vote for stomach infrastructure’

    ‘Don’t vote for stomach infrastructure’

    Popular anti-graft crusader Mr. Debo Adeniran has urged voters in Ekiti State to shun “stomach infrastructure” in the July 14 governorship election.

    Adeniran, who is the executive chairman of Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL), urged voters to scrutinise and interrogate aspirants jostling for the No. 1 seat.

    The activist regretted that only a minority of the nation’s population had been participating in elections since the return to democracy in 1999.

    Adeniran spoke yesterday in Ado-Ekiti, the capital, at a civic education summit organised by a non-governmental organisation (NGO), #EkitiProjectVote2018.

    The parley was attended by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), representatives of parties, civil society organisations (CSOs), the academia and stakeholders.

    Adeniran said this year’s governorship election was another opportunity to elect their leader.

    The CACOL chief advised them to vote at the poll.

    He said: “Voting, as a civic responsibility, is paramount to the success of democracy. The CSOs, community-based organisations, the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and INEC must make efforts on civic education of the citizenry.

  • Omo-Ojo’s politics of stomach infrastructure

    Omo-Ojo’s politics of stomach infrastructure

    I have not stopped laughing since reading an interview published by a national daily featuring the immediate past Edo State Transport Commissioner, Orobosa Omo-Ojo. The reason is simple: it was an audacious attempt by a pathetic character to falsify the facts of recent history but ended up making a fool of himself. On the day his sack was announced, for instance, only Omo-Ojo’s army of rough-necks clothed in funny-looking white uniform who had been terrorizing and extorting hapless motorists in Benin City under the guise of regulating traffic did not jubilate.  Having been so dismissed ignominiously from his job to the applause of the Edo public, a sensible man would have saved himself further ridicule by simply making himself less visible.

    Not Omo-Ojo. Rather, blinded by malice, the self-acclaimed “technocrat-in-government” (another big lie) now tried hard to belittle what is generally acknowledged as the monumental achievements of the incumbent governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. In his desperation to project the Comrade Governor as a let-down, Omo-Ojo comically resorted to praising – wait for it – the much discredited Lucky Igbinedion as a great achiever!

    But this serial political failure (he lost in the ACN senatorial primaries of 2011 and APC House of Reps primaries of 2015) is only acting true to character: a flutist who blows his pipe in your praise so long as you look after his “stomach infrastructure”. By his tone in the said interview, it would seem Omo-Ojo does not consider the Comrade Governor to be worthy of his office. So, the question is: if Omo-Ojo is truly a man of high principle that he now pretends to be, why did he serve that administration in various capacities for seven whole years? Let us even rewind to last year. The same Omo-Ojo had granted another interview in the national daily where he praised Oshiomhole to high heavens as a great “inspiration from whom I have drawn invaluable leadership lessons and skills”. Now relieved of his juicy portfolio, the man is singing a different tune. Isn’t there shame at all again?

    In his tales-by-the-moonlight, Omo-Ojo listed the “achievements” of his new-found paymaster as the founding of many fantastic industries and a sprawling housing estate in Benin City. Seriously? Really?

    Well, if any viable industry was bequeathed by the Igbinedion administration, it must be existing in Omo-Ojo’s infertile imagination. The truth of the matter is that the so-called industries purportedly set up by Igbinedion were nothing but creative drain-pipes through which public funds were siphoned. For instance, whereas it is on record that a whopping N700m was expended in setting up one of such, the same company was eventually sold for less than N50m by the same Igbinedion administration years later in the name of privatization.  Talking about “sprawling estate”, Omo-Ojo also needs to clarify whether it is the same as one of the assets forfeited by the former governor to EFCC under a plea-bargain arrangement years ago.

    The harder cheap hirelings like Omo-Ojo try, Oshiomhole’s sterling records can never be tarnished. His handworks and indeed footprints across the 192 wards of Edo State are too visible even for the blind to see. Space constraint will not permit one to go into a catalogue here. But suffice it to say that Edo people, who had suffered the atrophy of PDP for 10 dark years and Oshiomhole’s redemptive exertions of the past seven years, are indeed appreciative. No wonder that in the 2012 polls, they gave the governor unprecedented 75 percent of the vote such that he won in all the 18 councils of the state. And despite the huge ill-gotten cash Omo-Ojo’s new paymasters deployed in the last state elections, Edo people again demonstrated their confidence in Oshiomhole by voting overwhelmingly for APC.

    The culture of prudence and value-for-money is very much in evidence today. It explains why clueless disciples like Omo-Ojo had to be offloaded along the way. Oshiomhole’s tenacious commitment explains why Edo has more to show in terms of social infrastructure like roads, schools, hospitals relative to its meager resources compared to its oil-rich neighbours. It explains why whereas those oil-rich neighbours began to owe salaries and later craved federal bail-out, not once did Oshiomhole default in paying workers’ salaries at the end of every month in the last seven years.

    Really, it is impossible for the Comrade Governor to fix all the rot accumulated by PDP for 10 years. Take education, for instance. Until Oshiomhole took over, the education sector was in total mess. Not only were our children left to take lessons in classrooms that made pigsty look like five-star luxury, content was also absent. Little wonder then that the secondary school calendar was defined by high failure rate and the state became synonymous with “miracle centres” where parents paid fortune to “mercenaries” to fix certificate exams for their wards.

    But all that is now history. By investing massively in rebuilding schools and motivating teachers to be more committed by way of incentives like prompt payment of salaries and allowances, public confidence had been restored in public schools. Today, more than 60 percent of public primary and secondary schools have been completely reconstructed across the state. Enrolment has doubled, tripled and quadrupled in the past seven years. Nothing perhaps underscores the improved quality than the WAEC/NECO results in the past three years. Last year, overall, Edo came third across the country. This year, it improved to the second position. So, who says Oshiomhole has not changed the Edo story for the better.

    How cheap for Omo-Ojo to say members of Edo Youth Empowerment Scheme (YES) were sacked unjustifiably. The truth is that it was not meant to be a permanent scheme. It was an interventionist initiative designed to groom beneficiaries for eventual engagement in the labour market. Over the years, it was discovered that the scheme was increasingly being abused such that many of those who originally enrolled and were drawing monthly salaries had since moved out of Edo. Many were no longer reporting in their places of primary assignment. As a mark of his commitment to ensure judicious use of public funds on the one hand and also harness those who may have proved their mettle on the job, Comrade Oshiomhole decided to phase out YES with a view to deploying those who took their jobs seriously to fill existing vacancies in the public service. The state civil service commission was directed to take steps to regularize their integration into the state civil service. The process is almost completed now. How does this amount to a crime as insinuated by Omo-Ojo?

    Well, one sincerely hopes that the Comrade Governor will put sentiments aside and summon the political will to make public the findings of the administrative panel set up to investigate mind-boggling allegations of unwholesome practices under Omo-Ojo’s watch at the transport ministry. Stories have been told how illegal VIOs were deployed around Benin metropolis to extort money from motorists. After a public outrage, same touts were “re-branded” and given white uniform to continue their siege to Benin streets. Is it true that “rents” were being collected on government premises illegally designated as motor parks? Comrade Governor, please Edo people deserve to know the truth.

     

    • Ighodalo, a social commentator, wrote from Benin.

     

     

  • ‘Why stomach infrastructure must continue’

    ‘Why stomach infrastructure must continue’

    Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose yesterday distributed food items to the residents of Ikere Ekiti, in continuation of his “stomach infrastructure” agenda.

    He said his stomach infrastructure policy must continue in a bid to put food on the table of the masses and alleviate their suffering.

    The governor, who supervised the distribution of items, such as rice, milk, groundnut oil, beverages and maggi, said only healthy people could contribute to the development of their societies.

    He said: “We are all witnessing what is going on across the world. People are moving to places they think have greener pasture, even at the risk of their lives. People from Eastern Europe are struggling to get to the West. Here in Ekiti, our concern is the welfare of the people.

    “When we banish hunger, assist in the provision of health care services, then we can talk of roads and other social infrastructure. A hungry man may not value a road that is tarred because his major concern will be to have food to eat.

    “We are not allowing paucity of funds to deter us. When we started last year, mockers thought the programme would fizzle out or die, but it has not and will not. We have held it thrice in Ado-Ekiti and now in Ikere-Ekiti and it will go round the state.”

    Fayose said his administration would touch people’s lives in positive ways, despite its lean resources.

    The Special Assistant to the Governor on Stomach Infrastructure, Mr. Sunday Anifowoshe, hailed Fayose for the initiative.

  • How ‘stomach infrastructure’ won Assembly elections for PDP in Ondo

    How ‘stomach infrastructure’ won Assembly elections for PDP in Ondo

    The surprise strong showing of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP in the April 11 House of Assembly election in Ondo State in contrast to its failure at the presidential election held two weeks earlier, is being attributed by political observers in the sunshine state to alleged monetary inducement of the electorate by Governor Olusegun Mimiko. DAMISI OJO reports.

    Unlike the March 28 Presidential election which was massively won by Gen Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC),  last Saturday’s State Assembly Election was a rude shock to many residents of Ondo State,  particularly APC supporters.

    In fact, scores of people were seen in groups discussing the outcome of the election in hushed tones because the result fell below many people’s expectations.

    Workers in the state are aggrieved with the present Mimiko’s government for allegedly not putting their welfare on its priority list. Artisans, market women, pensioners and other professionals are not too comfortable with the government of the day either, hence the manner they voted massively for Buhari and APC during the March 28 poll.

    Mimiko, the Southwest Coordinator of the doomed Goodluck Jonathan second term bid nearly lost his Ondo township home base during that election.

    With that earlier victory, APC supporters were jubilant and upbeat as they prepared for the April 11 election with the hope that Mimiko and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would be trounced once again.

    A defeat for the PDP at the House of Assembly election is expected to hasten the departure of Mimiko from the government house as many expects an APC controlled legislature to commence impeachment proceedings against him soon after inauguration, but the medical doctor turned politician was able to outwit the opposition, this time around, winning most of the seats for PDP.

    An observer said Mimiko’s victory at the poll last Saturday with 19 of his party candidates winning their seats as against five seats for APC and two seats declared inconclusive was an indication of the level of poverty in the land.

    According to him, “Mimiko understands Ondo electorate more than anybody else; he knows money is their problem and he has that money in excess to lavish on them especially as the Southwest Coordinator of Jonathan’s campaign.

    “With many people living in penury, the development forced many electorate to succumb to the paltry N1,000 per head being distributed with impunity as inducement in virtually all polling units across the state”.

    Many observers hinted that distribution of money had started since last Wednesday to pauperised individuals, who allegedly thronged the state seat of power at Alagbaka, on daily basis to collect their own share of the common wealth.

    It was also visible at every polling unit on Saturday how money ranging from N1,000 to N5,000 exchanged hands between the voters and those assigned the responsibility of inducing them with the cash.

    Our correspondent who monitored the election at most polling units in Akure and other neigbouring towns observed how the ruling party agents “settled”  prospective electorate who showed them their ballot papers indicating their thumb print on PDP logo even in the presence of security agents.

    At one of the polling units in Akure, one of the PDP cashiers after disbursing half of the money in his possession running into millions of Naira disappeared with the rest.

    It became a mild drama as others pursued him, but he smartly evaded them and bolted away to enjoy his loot.

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state described the poll as a contrived fraud aimed at providing soft landing for Governor Olusegun Mimiko who has lost favour with the masses of the state.

    In a statement issued in Akure by the secretary of APC media committee, Charles Titiloye, the party noted that PDP deployed unconventional strategies to rig the Assembly poll in the state.

    It noted that the election was marred with electoral irregularities, swapping of ballot papers to disenfranchise APC supporters in the party’s strongholds, “threats and intimidation of APC supporters, open ballot box snatching by agents of PDP and unprecedented monetary inducement of voters.”

    According to the statement:”In Igbotako, Ijuodo, Odeaye ballot papers/electoral materials meant for other polling units were deployed to the units in the area to ensure that election did not start as scheduled.

    “The outcome of the election was a confirmation of the party earlier warning to INEC and security agents of the plan by PDP to rig the election and use all means to ensure victory for its candidate.

    “Voters were openly harassed and forced not to vote for APC in Akure and PDP buses were stationed near the polling unit to share money to electorate.

    “In Ondo town our party agents were driven away by armed thugs from the polling units. Police looked the other way while all these electoral fraud were been perpetuated.

    “In Ugbo, Ayetoro community, Uteh in Ose local Government and part of Ondo East, armed thugs came after INEC staff and forcefully hijacked electoral materials. PDP desperation was at its extreme on Saturday in Ondo state. Both INEC and Police failed to take pre-emptive steps even when APC alerted them of plans by PDP to use thugs to rig the election.”

    The party said it was studying various reports of the electoral fraud, urging INEC to beef up security in areas where fresh elections would take place.

    However, in a jiffy and without minding negative comments of many people against him, Governor Mimiko immediately after the election organised a thanksgiving service at Government House Chapel, Alagbaka to praise God for his outstanding feat at the poll, describing it as democracy in action.

    With this victory and PDP’s near total control of the next parliament in the state, any plan of Mimiko being impeached before the end of his second term has no doubt been dealt a major blow, according to observers, who are however not ruling out a mass defection of the incoming PDP lawmakers to swell the ranks of the APC.

  • Ekiti Mopol commander transferred over ‘stomach infrastructure’

    Ekiti Mopol commander transferred over ‘stomach infrastructure’

    New days after Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, went agog with the sharing of rice, chicken and vegetable oil to residents as Christmas largesse, the ‘stomach infrastructure’ agenda of the Ayo Fayose administration has “claimed a casualty”.

    The Mobile Police (MOPOL) Commander, Gabriel Selenkere, has been transferred, following  his refusal to allow mobile policemen queue in public to collect the Christmas largesse.

    The Nation gathered yesterday that “signals” for Selenkere’s transfer would reach Ado-Ekiti today from the Force Headquarters in Abuja.

    It was also revealed that Selenkere, a Superintendent of Police, is not on good terms with the Commissioner of Police, Taiwo Lakanu.

    Selenkere, who hails from Bayelsa State, became a controversial figure in the state in the run-up to the June 21 governorship election, in which opposition parties accused him of arbitrary arrest and detention of their members.

    He was actively involved in stopping a rally held by the All Progressives Congress (APC) members on June 8 when they carried out a symbolic “sweeping” of the footprints of the national leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), including President Goodluck Jonathan, who were in the state a day earlier to campaign for Fayose.

    The MOPOL chief stopped the convoy of former Governor Kayode Fayemi and tried to arrest him.

    The Nation learnt that during the distribution of Christmas gifts to the public and other interest groups by Fayose and other senior government officials, the recipients queued in public to collect the largesse.

    Conventional policemen were among those who collected the Christmas gifts in the open but when it was the turn of mobile policemen, Selenkere ordered his men not to collect the gifts in “full glare of the public”, which he believed could be implicative.

    Selenkere’s action reportedly angered top government officials who saw his action as “rude, unfriendly and insolent”.

    A police officer, who pleaded for anonymity, confirmed Selenkere’s transfer.

    He said: “It is true that he (Selenkere) has been transferred. In fact, the signals for his transfer will reach Ado-Ekiti today.

    “The issue of Christmas gifts shared by the government was part of it but you know he has many issues as well bordering on his line of duties.

    “It is true that he ordered MOPOL men not to collect the gifts and ordered them to go back to their bases, despite the fact that the conventional police collected.

     “He is also not on good terms with the CP but one thing you must realise is that the OC-MOPOL and the CP must have a good working relationship and as a junior officer he has to give way.”

  • Goodbye to ‘stomach infrastructure’, says Oshiomhole

    Goodbye to ‘stomach infrastructure’, says Oshiomhole

    •Fayemi: performance still counts
    •Governors hail Aregbesola

    Governors Adams Oshiomhole (Edo), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Rochas Okorocha (Imo), Babatunde Fashola (Lagos), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo) and Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers) have congratulated Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola on his victory in Saturday’s election.

    In a statement yesterday, Oshiomhole said: “It is gratifying to note that you (Aregbesola) have restored people-driven governance, reminiscent of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Chief Bola Ige eras, thus placing you firmly in the pantheon of the greats to have come from that part of the country.

    “The wide margin of votes you recorded on Saturday over your closest rival is a clear testimony of your doggedness and the confidence reposed in you by Osun people.

    “Above all, your victory has strengthened the progressive movement nationally. I salute Osun people for choosing to toe the path of positive progressivism and lasting legacies over the politics of stomach infrastructure, which the other party has introduced into the nation’s political lexicon.

    “As you settle down to the business of governance in your second term, I wish you greater and quality achievements in your efforts to reposition Osun. I assure you of the continued solidarity of the people and government of Edo State.”

    Ajimobi described Aregbesola’s victory as “the triumph of democracy and the rule of law”.

    He said the jubilation that trailed the announcement of the result showed that the will of the people prevailed.

    Ajimobi described Aregbesola’s victory as “well-deserved”, attributing it to the governor’s “outstanding performance” and the people’s belief in the ideals of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    He praised the people for “collectively saying ‘No’ to reactionary forces bent on returning Osun to the path of retrogression”.

    Ajimobi hailed progressives across the country for their support for Aregbesola and Osun people, which he said prevented “conservative elements” from hijacking the people’s mandate.

    He praised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for being alive to its responsibilities in spite of pressure from some quarters.

    Ajimobi described Aregbesola as “a committed democrat with a passion for development” and assured the people of more progress.

    Fayemi described Aregbesola’s victory as “an expression of the people’s will”, adding that the governor’s administration had impacted positively on the lives of the people.

    He said the electorate deserve bigger congratulations for “rewarding Aregbesola’s exemplary and transformational leadership with electoral victory”.

    In a statement, Fayemi said he is confident that Osun will witness greater development during Aregbesola’s second term.

    He condemned the “security clampdown” on the state and “the unwarranted arrest and detention of APC leaders before and during the election”, adding that it was gratifying that the people’s power triumphed in spite of these ugly incidents.

    Fayemi hailed the APC leadership for increasing its vigilance, adding: “This is, indeed, a well-deserved victory. We congratulate Aregbesola and the people of Osun State. It is a victory for democracy, integrity and performance.

    “The election in Osun has shown that performance still counts in electoral contest and that the average voter, if allowed to make his /her choice freely, would vote for the candidate and party that make the greater impact on their lives.

    “On behalf of myself, the government and people of Ekiti State, I heartily congratulate Aregbesola on his re-election. I also congratulate Osun people as they get set for another term of purposeful leadership.

    Amosun said: “The people have spoken again with one voice through their mandate, freely given. I have always said our people are sophisticated and know which party is working. They know those who have their interest at heart. This they have demonstrated in Osun State.

    “I had no doubt that our party would come out victorious. We campaigned vigorously and encouraged our supporters to vote according to their conscience.”

    Amosun urged Aregbesola to continue with “the good work he started” and prayed to God to grant him wisdom.

    Okorocha said: “What happened in Osun State did not come to me as a surprise. I did not expect anything less, but the people should be commended for coming out to vote for a candidate of their choice and ensuring that their votes counted.

    “Gone are the days when people were foisted on the people and elections rigged by a few people. Today we are singing a new song and only the people can determine who wins elections.

    “I advise APC leaders, especially those holding public offices, to borrow a leaf from the Osun governor and keep in touch with the people. We should be seen to do things differently because if we fail as the only credible opposition party, Nigerians will be disappointed.”

    Fashola said: “Osun people have spoken the truth about their governor and the people-oriented policies of the APC. It is possible to deny what is being said, but impossible to deny what the eyes can see. Osun, like every other state under the APC’s leadership, remains a proof of our resolve to lead the people of Nigeria to a better rewarding future.”

    He expressed hope that election times in Nigeria would become periods of interaction and healthy exchange of ideas among contestants and parties, instead of mudslinging, harassment and intimidation.

    Fashola said election days should be carnival-like, with people moving around freely without excessive militarisation and harassment of opponents.

    Ahmed said: “Osun people have, through the renewal of Aregbesola’s mandate for a second term, affirmed unequivocally that the peoples’ will is supreme, as it glides over the machinations of those desirous of drawing back the clock of progress. Aregbesola’s re-election is a vote for the ideals, philosophy and programmes of the APC.”

    He urged his Osun counterpart to continue to run an inclusive government.

    Amaechi said: “The victory is well-deserved. Osun people have decided wisely. They chose sustainable development and good leadership.”

    He expressed confidence that in 2015 and beyond, other states would emulate Osun people and embrace “the change APC offers”.

  • Aregbesola: Social contract vs. stomach infrastructure

    Suddenly, the Ekiti governorship election has formally endorsed, so to speak, a strange and damning concept into our lexicon, especially for those in the South West, as the guaranteed alley way to electoral victory.The intriguing concept is ‘stomach infrastructure’, hitherto an alien term to this part of the world.

    It is at once a concept which will make Chief Obafemi Awolowo turn in the grave; for the apostles of mainstream politics and winning power by any means, the era of come and chop politics is finally reaching out to the only remaining bastion of egalitarian comportment in the country. Predictably, it has emboldened congenital and pathological lying politicians to purvey the dubious notion that the strange outcome of the Ekiti election is set to be repeated in Osun. In other words, a social pact between a government and citizens has become anarchronistic; what is now needful is a carefully contrived gimmick of exploiting hapless citizens’ soft under-belly to foist a crude and uncultured parasitic reign.

    Mercifully, this will turn out a pipe-dream after all, at least not in this part of the country. Even for the Ekiti fiasco, it is only a matter of time before the bubble bursts and Osun in three weeks, will keep hope alive for the South-west. But let’s examine this strange concept a little deeply and why it will meet its waterloo in Osun.

    In what manner do we accommodate what ought to be the backbone of democracy, the ‘social contract’ in the age of what is now known as “infrastructure of the stomach”? The question is crucial now. The concept of a social contract should be the engine room of a democratic process. The social contract lays out the obligations of those who command the executive to those who elected them into office in the first place.

    There ought to be no contradiction in complimenting infrastructure of the stomach (the immediate quick-fix) with the long term duties and commitments inherent in a social contract. In just a few weeks down the road, the issue of “stomach infrastructure” as opposed to or in relation to the obligation of a social contract could be a determining factor in the governorship election in the state of Osun. Could be? Time will tell.

    Since infrastructure of the stomach is now in the lexicon, what should be the response of those who feel obliged to lay the foundations for long – term development? In the case of Osun, the jury is no longer out. The verdict is clear that the incumbent governor has spent the past three and a half years laying the foundation for sustainable development.

    There ought to be no conflict about defining this as the real reason, the raison d’etre for being in office. In Aregbesola’s case, he kick-started the process of a social contract in Osun State from a very low base. He continues to implement the development effort at a time when the fiscal climate is very much against the required cash-flow of the state governments.

    Nigeria’s quasi-federalism means that the states cannot exploit, process their own resources and use it to develop their states. It is also a difficult time to operate a development process when the almighty allocation from the centre is dwindling all the time. This represents a multi-dimensional dilemma. Forwithout a sound structure, even the hope of increasing internally generated revenue (IGR) as a counter-balancing force becomes forlorn.

    Nevertheless, in a dicey situation Aregbesola has punched above his weight. He has in a very tight fiscal environment, recreated the development framework associated with a progressive, social democratic government. At every stage, the development thrust under Aregbesola has been innovatively integrative. There is a clear focus of achieving a multiplier effect with each policy thrust.

    A good example is the school feeding programme. This involves feeding 300, 000 pupils every school day at the cost of N3.6 billion per annum. It is a transparent programme since it can be verified simply by going to the schools themselves. The programme has led to an exponential increase in enrolment figures. The socio-economic benefit here is seminal.

    In addition, a multiplier effect is triggered off. Food production has consequently gone up in geometric proportion. There is a clear gain as a result in terms of the purchasing power of the farmers. This is a clear case of financial employment and poverty alleviation mixed up in line with a policy of thrust to construct the foundations for self-sustaining economic development.

    The fiscal injection into the economy of the state is far more than can be achieved by any immediate “infrastructure of the stomach.” The students consume 15, 000 whole chickens every week and it is served twice. They consume 400 tons of fish every week. 35 herds of cattle are also consumed every week.

    The financial empowerment to poultry and fish farmers is important. It means that the rural economy is receiving a boost. In addition, 3,007 women cook the meals for the students. They are paid directly through the banks and were given seed capital to start-up. In no way is this initiative any different from the model associated which the founder of modern micro-finance Muhammed Yunus used and which won him the NobelPrize.

    The school feeding programme also has a link with the health sector. Hundreds of thousands are now receiving proper, healthy, and nutritious meals for the first time. The long term gains in terms of a healthy mind in a healthy body will be profound. For a start, there will be less pressure and stress on the health infrastructure. This is the policy thrust that the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as the late highly esteemed professor Olikoye Ransome Kuti amongst many others has, been advocating for decades.

    In fulfillment of the need to cement the social contract, the thrust of the Aregbesola programme has been to lay the foundations for self-sustaining development. On the widely copied O’Yes scheme alone, over 40,000 cadets have been empowered with entrepreneurial skills.

    As with all things Aregbesola, there is always the synergy lurking there somewhere. The 200 kilometres of roads constructed under his watch translates into opening up the rural economy. This means that farm production will go up, as the farmer can now evacuate his or her produce for onward sales in the urban markets. Again, this is a gain for the farmers, as well as for their individual and collective purchasing power. There has also been a profound gain for the rural economy of Osun State by opening up roads and linking it with farm gate purchases for the O’Meal programmme.

    The social contract is well and alive in Osun State. From a tight economic base, all the stakeholders have benefitted across the board. This spans critical sectors such as teachers, civil servants, those in the transportation sector as well as those in the agrarian economy. Students for example, have seen their bursary go up in adjustment to inflation. The bursary has been raised to N10,000 fiat while medical and law students receive N20 000. Osun State indigenes in the law school get N100,000.

    Osun has become a hub for progress. This means that by carrying out his obligations to all sectors, Aregbesola has protected and then enhanced the living standards of those who gave him a mandate. We may care to recall that when he was seeking re-election, Bill Clinton boldly asked the voters “are you better off today than you were four years ago?”

    Aregbesola can and should confidently do the same. By providing the infrastructure for self-sustaining development across all sectors in the state, he has actually tendered to the issue of the infrastructure of the stomach. The infrastructure of the stomach is best nourished not just by the provision of today’s meal, but by the execution of well thought out policies to insure the provision of a meal everyday.