“It isn’t easy to accept that suffering can also be beautiful…It’s difficult. It’s something you can only understand if you dig deeply into yourself” (Rainer W. Fassbinder),
It’s exactly two years now, remembering June 21, 2014 when Ekiti decided to sacrifice integrity and progress for mediocrity and retrogression. On this glorious day as we journey through the governorship election between Dr Kayode Fayemi and Mr Ayo Fayose, the birds of the air were singing and the World was watching if Ekiti people will get it right or wrong; but something raised my hope that Ekiti people are knowledgeable with honour and we will not fall into the deceit of Fayose once again considering the experience of his reign of terror between 2003 and 2006.
Although we were victimized and terrorized, many of us were forced into hiding by military agents but I was so confidence that no amount of terrorizing can decline my Great people of Ekiti state to forget so soon the activities of Dr Kayode Fayemi which gave life and integrity for us; renovation of Ikogosi Warm Spring to World Tourism standard, Youth in Commercial Agriculture, resuscitation of Ire Bricks, EKSMA, EKCSDA projects, timely payment of salaries and teachers rural and core subject allowances, N5,000 monthly stipend for 25,000 old ages, N10,000 monthly stipend for Youth volunteers, operation renovate all schools, 10km road per LGA, Community town hall meetings… and many more. I believe with all these, we will decide right.
The news that Fayose won the election came as a shock and surprise though quite unfortunate. But I asked questions, how and why? And many answers came; the Labour Union, TUC, Artisans, Market Women, Students, Young and Old decided. With smiles and tears of pain rolling down my cheek, I said Ekiti has decided to be bounded by deceit.
Today in Ekiti state, when we take a look around us, what we see is pain, suffering, no respect for opinions and misery with Fayose deceiving us and blaming all his calamities on the 25billion loan taken by JKF which was used to develop the state and providing necessities that raises the IGR of Ekiti which was designed to pay back the loans.
For instance, I knew how Ikogosi Warm Spring employed staff and was servicing the loan used for its renovation. It is always disheartening seeing civil servants capitalizing on the issue of loan to allow Fayose put them into servitude because to my belief, development are always limited without adequate finances, or how many civil servant can buy cars and build houses if not for the help of loan?
As we remember this day, I must appreciate Dr Kayode Fayemi and everybody who worked with him to place the integrity of Ekiti state at the climax during his tenure as governor, also I put straight to our good people of Ekiti state that much suffering, much unhappiness will arise if we take each words of Fayose for the truth because he is acting under the attitude of prudence and psychopath to siphon the fund of the state as he is busy acquiring wealth for himself as he knows the end time is near.
Many water has gone under the bridge, the few people he appointed are figure heads, many who worked and betrayed their family to support him are nowhere to be found, things are falling apart, the falcons cannot hold the falconet, the state can no longer hold her grandstanding and our value has diminished in the face of the World.
But many opportunities are approaching for us once again to decide, the destiny of our dear state lies in our hands for we are unique, we are wonderful, let’s grow stronger from these pains, it must not destroy US.
Oluwatosin Ogunkuade (Jasper)
Secret reporters are nonentity, does workers n state hardship started from ekiti? What would you say about Oyo state n osun that are even worse without any tangible development, did you call your your enlisted achievement of fayemi as a good performer, what will you call the debt fayemi owed the workers of the state before leaving. Until when stupid media people like wake up n stop deceiving gullible Nigerians that this country will move forward.