Ekiti: Fayose takes over, workers call off strike
Wife
of Ekiti State Governor, Feyisetan Fayose; her husband, Ayo; and the
Chief Judge, Justice Ayodeji Daramola, during the swearing-in of Fayose
THE
old, young men and women trooped out in large numbers on Thursday to
witness the inauguration of Ayodele Peter Fayose as the new governor
of Ekiti State.
Majority of them, dressed in different
colours of the inauguration uniform, started arriving at the Oluyemi
Kayode Stadium venue of the ceremony in Ado-Ekiti as early as 7am.
At the ceremony, six All Progressives
Congress members of the state House of Assembly that defected to the
Peoples Democratic Party, were received by the PDP National Chairman,
Adamu Mu’azu.
The defectors are Olowo Ajiboye,
Adeloye Adeyinka, Abeni Olayinka, Fatunbi Olajide, Olugbemi
Joseph and Adeojo Ayodele.
The people roared with songs as Fayose, decked in a white dansiki and sokoto, arrived at the venue at 12.40pm in a light green 1965 model Mercedez Benz W110 in company with his wife, Feyisetan. Feyisetan wore a green attire.
Apart from musicians, including Yinka
Ayefele, who thrilled the crowd, there were performances by
masqueraders at the sideline.
People coming into the stadium were
asked to raise their hands for security checks. Security operatives had a
hectic time controlling the crowd.
Three police helicopters hovered the sky
of Ado Ekiti while four Armour Personnel Carriers were stationed at
strategic locations.
The Commissioner of Police, Taiwo
Lakanu, personally led the police team that provided security for the
state Chief Judge, Justice Ayodeji Daramola, who administered the oath
of office on Fayose and his deputy, Olusola Eleka.
Lakanu had on Wednesday night met
various interest groups, including the Road Transport Employees
Association of Nigeria, the NURTW, okada riders and political parties.
Before delivering his inaugural speech,
Fayose ordered the observance of a minute silence in honour of a former
state Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Omolafe
Aderiye, who was murdered by some gunmen.
Fayose in a crowd (r) in Ado-Ekiti… on Thursday
Aderiye, a staunch supporter of Fayose, was killed on September 25 in the wake of violence that erupted in the state.
The new governor also asked for a minute silence to announce the ‘burial’ of the APC in the state.
One of the highlights of the speech was
when Fayose decreed “stomach infrastructure” at the ceremony which was
not attended by his predecessor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.
He said, “My emergence is divine. That is why the more they fight me, the more they make me popular.
“When they write about me in the papers,
they want me to be the governor of their imagination. But I am governor
of your imagination. I am the governor that eats boli with you; the governor that drinks agbo jedi with you.
“You have successfully supported me to serve you and send them back with their agenda to their master in Lagos.”
Fayose also went spiritual in his speech
when he said God spoke to him to forgive the state for his unjust
removal as governor in 2006 and to also decree peace to the people.
“Today I declare peace, prosperity, progress, employment, food and stomach infrastructure,” he said.
He announced that he would appoint a
special adviser for stomach infrastructure and provide rice as well as
chickens for them to celebrate Christmas.
The governor said, “I will dedicate
myself to your service; I will banish hunger in your midst; I will work
hard to put food on your table. Whether they call it food infrastructure
is their business because I’m going to appoint a Special Adviser for
Stomach Infrastructure.”
“If I put car on the road and I’m hungry
and my children can’t go to school, that car is meaningless. But
putting food inside the stomach is very important. I’m breeding your
chicken for Christmas; I’m getting your rice ready to do stomach
infrastructure….”
As the jubilant crowd shouted ‘yes oh’
in appreciation, he then lashed out at the Fayemi administration for
what he described as recklessness in managing the state’s finances.
He said the Fayemi administration which had 157 accounts in different banks committed the state to financial liability of N84bn.
According to him, it will take the state six years to get out of the financial burden.
He argued that despite the huge sums
expended by the outgone administration there was no corresponding impact
on the lives of the people of the state.
Fayose urged the people to be patient
with his administration, saying the next few months would be slightly
rough because of huge financial deficit to offset.
The governor said, “They have committed
this state to the tune of N84bn and we are committed up until year 2020.
The records are there. New discoveries will be made public very soon.
They left without paying wages. Since the former governor lost election,
he appointed eight permanent secretaries when there was no vacancy.
“To my amazement, he employed over 3,000
people. To my amazement, an outgoing government created 19 extra local
government areas. It’s unfortunate; it is sad. And I want to appeal to
you to give me all the necessary cooperation and understanding because
the next few months might be slightly rough. They have every month, a
deficit of N552m. I don’t know how a government can be this reckless.”
The governor, who said he left over
N10.4bn in cash and sureties in the state in October 2006, expressed
regret that the money was depleted by successive governments which began
with the interim “quasi-military” which took over when he was removed.
Fayose accused the previous governments of serving interests other than that of the ordinary man.
He said, “My heart bleeds today that our
state has been plunged into heavy debt of well over N49bn by our own
brothers and sisters who claimed to be our leaders. They took a bond of
N21bn and then took another N10bn. Other bank loans N15.5bn. Outstanding
salaries, instead of two months, it’s now three months running to about
N5bn.
“Since after election they refused to
pay salary monthly salaries of about N2.4bn. When they deny this, I’ll
publish it in the papers with the names of such banks and everything
that went through them. I know they are good at propaganda, but the
world would know that these people do not love their people.”
He added that unpaid subventions to
parastatals and tertiary institutions, 2014 leave bonuses, unpaid
pension and gratuities amounted to about N57.45bn, whereas monthly
accruable income of the state stood at about N3.3bn.
Fayose also said he was surprised to discover that the state had 157 bank accounts and none of them has up to N1m in it.
He said he did not want to join issues
with the Fayemi administration, which “was responsible for the huge debt
profile,” but wanted to let the people know the state of the state’s
finances.
Fayose noted that he had made history by
being the first Ekiti man to take the oath of office as governor
twice and also the first to have defeated two incumbents.
“When I defeated them, they said it was
as a result of stomach infrastructure. How can an incumbent say that?
You have the money; you have the power; you have the might; you
disconnect yourself from the people. They are gone; I say they are
gone,” he added.
Fayose also pleaded with the media to give him a chance as the representative of ordinary people of Ekiti State.
On the programme of his government,
Fayose said the focus would be on economic empowerment; development of
agriculture; infrastructural development; affordable housing schemes;
education; provision of free health care for children, women and people
living with disability; as well as security.
Promising that a military formation
would be established in the state, he warned that civil servants who
allowed politics to get in the way of their jobs would be sacked.
Fayose directed the Head of Service to return all officers redeployed on June 21 to their substantive positions.
He voided all appointments and
promotions that were effected after the June governorship election and
promised that a panel would be constituted to reorganise the civil
service.
The governor blamed the recent events
that led to the attacks on court premises and judges on the leadership
of the APC. He alleged that it desperately wanted to steal the mandate
that was given to him by Ekiti people.
Fayose pleaded with the judiciary and
the state legislature to put those events behind them and work amicably
with him for the development of the state.
He also promised to make the judiciary in the state the best in the country.
Prominent people that witnessed the
ceremony were the PDP National Secretary, Prof. Olusola Oladipo;
governor Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom); Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo); Theodore
Orji (Abia); Liyel Imoke (Cross River); Ramalan Yero (Kaduna); Isa
Yuguda (Bauchi); Sule Lamido (Jigawa); Ibrahim Shema (Katsina); Usman
Dakingari (Kebbi); and Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta).
Former governors Rasheed Ladoja (Oyo);
Peter Obi (Anambra); and Christopher Alao-Akala (Oyo); the former PDP
governorship candidates in Osun and Ondo states. Iyiola Omisore
and Olusola Oke, were also in attendance.
The Chairman, South-West PDP
Mobilisation Committee, Chief Buruji Kasamu; former Acting Governor of
the state, Tunji Odeyemi, senatorial aspirant, Mrs. Fatima Raji-Rasaki;
Minister of State for Works, Chief Dayo Adeyeye; outgoing Minister of
State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro; a former Minister of Police
Affairs, Caleb Olubolade, as well as royal fathers in the state led by
their chairman and the Onitaji of Itaji, Oba Adamo Babalola.
Fayose appoints SSG, CPS, SAs
Fayose later announced the
appointments of Dr. Modupe Alade as Secretary to the State Government
and Mr. Idowu Adelusi as his Chief Press Secretary.
Owoseni Ajayi was named his Special Assistant on Legal Matters.
Adelusi, in a statement, said Kayode
Oso, would serve as Fayose’s Special Assistant on Works and
Infrastructure; Sola Owoeye, Special Assistant on Protocol;
and Sola Olowookere, Personal Assistant ( Abuja).
Toyin Ojo was appointed special
assistant on Finance; Sunday Anifowose, Personal Assistant on
Special Duties and Stomach Infrastructure; Sunday Omosilade,
personal assistant on Domestic Matters and Lere Olayinka, special
assistant on Information and Social Media.
Workers suspend strike
Meanwhile, Ekiti State workers have
suspended the two- week- old strike they declared over the the
non- payment of their two-month salaries and allowances.
The State Joint Negotiating Council Chairman, Oladipupo Johnson, broke the news to our correspondent in Ado-Ekiti.
He said the workers agreed to suspend
the strike in order to honour Fayose after a meeting with the Head of
Service, Mr. Bunnies Famosaya.
Johnson said, “We met at the Labour
House and agreed to suspend the strike in order to allow the new
government settle down. This is to allow him to settle down in office to
find solutions to pending issues with workers.
“That is the position as of now. We have
directed all the striking unions under the JNC to ask their members to
resume on Friday. We want to allow him to put an end to all the bad
policies where salaries of workers will not be paid and the government
will be withholding deductions, and other related issues.
“We expect all workers in the public service to resume tomorrow (Friday).”
He said the council had earlier met
with government officials on Wednesday where it refused to suspend the
strike pending the inauguration of Fayose.
While declaring the strike on October 2,
Johnson had said, “It is unfortunate to note that in spite of the
pronouncement and promises from top government functionaries, there seem
to be no light at the end of the tunnel . Sequel to the following, the
workers of the public service had met and directed that no worker should
come to work today, October 2, 2014 and this subsists until all
conditions are met.
“And any worker who refuses to obey this
simple directive dos so at his or her own risk since the leaders would
not take responsibility for anything that happens.”
Johnson, who said the council had been
in dialogue with Fayemi in the last three months over the issues,
expressed surprise that the workers were not paid even after government
received two allocations.
“We don’t want to stay back and allow
our people to be dying on the streets because we are gradually becoming
beggars. The Government has not paid salaries in the last two months,
that is why we ask them to be at home and look for alternative ways of
existence
“They are owing full salaries for August
and September and 60 per cent deductions in the June and July salaries.
And going by evidence we had, the former governor had collected two
allocations without remembering that these salaries should be paid.
“We have met with the Head of Service,
the Accountant General and other relevant people and what they agreed
was that the salaries will be paid by October 1, 2014.’’
