In this age of letter-writing, confusion is currently the language of the nation. One could not help but notice the furore generated by the letter-writing Obasanjo family. I chose to be quite about it all because one cannot put anything past the ruling/political class in Nigeria. For all we know, all these are theatrics and as expected, the story-gobbling people of Nigeria are swallowing the spiky bait.
In the midst of the missive troubles, the Finance Minister (or ‘Prime Minister’ as some have nicknamed her), Okonjo Iweala, presented the 2014 budget of N4.6 trillion in further testimony to the failure and irreparability of the Jonathan presidency. Like a proper ‘omo oninakuna’ (prodigal son), the recurrent expenditure takes the chunk of 72% while capital expenditure is around 27%. I have been asking myself since the ‘presentation of shame’ how the Jonathan presidency came up with all its Labaran Maku-reeling beautiful economic statistics. I wondered to no end how our ‘one of the fastest growing economies’ can really grow with the ongoing traditional planlessness.
While shoving aside the pettiness that has become the lot of the Jonathan presidency and the PDP to move on to better things, our nextdoor neighbour in Ondo State came with yet another drama.
It was at the ‘launch’ of the Labour Party (I apostrophised the word ‘launch’ because Labour Party is not a new party and it had been on ground in Ekiti State before the defection of Opeyemi Bamidele, thus my confusion at the usage of the word ‘launch’) at Bibiire office in Ado-Ekiti. Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko, represented by the comic-looking Kola Ademujimi, his Chief of Staff, had said Ekiti ‘failed’ to reach its full potential owing to Fayemi’s ‘inexperience’. According to Mimiko, experience has been responsible for his ‘success’ as Ondo State helmsman. Many of my friends had argued that Mimiko could not have uttered such a statement and that Ademujimi was speaking for himself. Others said the Chief of Staff could have taken some shots in Akure or Iju before getting to Ekiti. My answer to all these is that (1) having served as Governmrnt House correspondent during Mimiko’s first term, Ademujimi certainly came across to me as a comic fellow several times, so, he could have been cracking his habitual jokes, (2) since Ademujimi was representing Mimiko, his boss and friend (the governor) should be held responsible for Ademujimi’s jokes, if you like, call it dry jokes.
For any discerning and sincere person who visits the two states, one discovers that in spite of the fat federal allocation accruing to Ondo State, the achievements on ground in almost five years of the Mimiko administration fall far below expectation and pale in comparison to what is on ground in Ekiti in a little over three years of the Fayemi administration, and this is in spite of the 13% oil derivation revenue Ondo State enjoys monthly and N27 billion bond secured by the Mimiko government from the capital market. While Ekiti has tarred all its border roads with Ondo State, save the Ado/Akure federal road which is even motorable up to the Ikere boundary, the Mimiko government has failed to replicate same. Emure-Ile via Eporo attest to this. I then ask, where is the touted Mimiko experience.
While there is no project initiated by the Fayemi administration that has been abandoned, among the many in Ondo State, the Dome project, now popularly referred to as ‘Doom’, readily comes to mind. In almost five (5) years of its life in the saddle, the Mimiko government, despite the billions of Naira budgeted for the project, is yet to raise its seemingly fraud-inspired Dome project off the ground. Where then is Mimiko’s experience?
Ekiti pays 25, 000 elderly persons N5, 000 monthly despite its meager resources; Mimiko does not. The elderly are lamenting in Ondo State, begging Mimiko to emulate Fayemi and yet our Ondo neighbour claims experience.
Ekiti State paid 5, 000 unemployed youths N10,000 monthly for two (2) years and has another set of 5, 000 youths in the second batch. There is nothing of such in Ondo State. Go to Old Garage in Akure and see how jobless youths try to fleece innocent people daily. Yet, the Ondo Governor claims to be experienced.
All our schools have been renovated. Our hospitals are being renovated.
If he has not visited Ikogosi Warm Spring, Mimiko should ask MOB to lead him there. While savouring the sheer beauty of the Springs, he should please compare it to the lackluster Idanre Hills.
In Ekiti State, our street lights in Ado-Ekiti, the State capital, cover 11 kilometres and it was contracted for N760 million. In Akure, the streetlights cover 4 kilometres, but it was contracted for N2 billion. Nigerians, are you yet to see Mimiko’s experience?
While Fayemi has sincerely restructured the local government administration in Ekiti State without axing any worker, our nextdoor neighbour has sacked 12, 000 LG workers employed during his tenure in his state, claiming not to know about their employment. I then ask, who has been paying their salaries since 2009 when he became governor? Considering that he single-handedly handpicked the caretaker chairmen, didn’t the salaries paid these sacked local government workers since 2009 reflect on the state’s wage bill? ‘Ibukun repete’ indeed!
I would rather Fayemi is inexperienced while our elders are taken care of, our roads well-tarred, our schools and hospitals renovated.
The last of the present drama is a statement attributed to Opeyemi Bamidele. He reportedly made it at the Labour Party ‘launch’ where Mimiko cracked his own jokes too:
“We are not fighting. Violence and fighting is over in Ekiti State…”
If I may ask, how does one know that the violence and fighting he ‘did’ not initiate was over? Is Bamidele saying he started the violence that we have witnessed in Ekiti for the past few months and has now ended it? Is he saying we can now enjoy peace in Ekiti? If so, we thank him then.
‘Dimeji Daniels writes from Ado, Ekiti State
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