As the nation battles with serious economic challenges, the Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose and his Osun State counterpart, Mr Rauf Aregbesola have canvassed regional integration and cooperation as well as the revival of agriculture as some of the steps to ameliorate the situation.
The both spoke in Ado-Ekiti on Saturday during an interactive forum which was part of activities lined up to mark the 20th anniversary of the creation of Ekiti State.
Aregbesola, who delivered a lecture entitled “The imperative of unity”, said the biting economic problem was such that in the whole of the South-West zone, only Lagos State can stand on its own.
He therefore said there was the need for unity of purpose, economic integration and cooperation for the states in the region to leverage on the comparative advantages they have.
“Governor Fayose is a reliable person and I must commend him for bringing me here. While flying into Ado-Ekiti today, I could see the physical changes that are taking place and that Ado is being transformed. The bond between us is that we are Yorubas. We trace our ancestry to Ife and we share the same culture with Ekiti people.
“We are all Omoluabi and share the same passion in the pursuit of education. Ijesa and Ekiti people collaborated to fight the Kiriji War. Despite political differences, we share many things in common. Sooner than later there will be realignment of forces. The economic challenges affecting all of us are really serious. We are not playing games with the economic challenges as President Muhammadu Buhari announced in New York recently that 27 states are in serious problem. Our problem is not just the falling price of oil as daily production is also down due to sabotage by militants in Niger Delta,” Aregbesola said.
The Osun State governor decried the high import bill of the country and noted that local industries must be protected and supported to thrive.
He called for the revival of agriculture, saying it would also help to reduce youth unemployment in the country, noting that the high unemployment rate posed danger to the future of the country.
In his remarks, Governor Fayose said he invited Aregbesola, an All Progressives Congress (APC) member instead a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart because there was the need to do away with partisan political cloak for the country to actually develop.
“I invited Governor Aregbesola instead of a governor from my party because we must take away the political veils and wear the armour of the Nigerian nation. I really appreciate him for honouring our invitation. I quite agree with him on the need for regional economic integration and we can do that without all of us being in the same political party. If we are all in the same political party, there will not be a virile opposition and in that wise, we will be shortchanging the people. Opposition helps to keep the ruling party on its toes.
“The Federal Government must take real practical steps to revive the economy. Foreign investors are not coming over because our leaders de-market us by calling every Nigerian corrupt. We also need justice for everybody. Justice should not be dispensed with. Also important is the need for transparent polical process. The will of the people freely expressed in an election must be allowed to stand,” he noted.
Governor Fayose, while also giving his scorecard to the people of the state, said all ongoing capital projects would be completed before he leaves office.
Fayose said the flyover and the new Ojaba Market projects would be completed next year.
He also urged the people to put Ekiti first in their consideration and actions, adding that the corporate interest of the state was greater than any personal interest.
”In developed societies say America for instance, after the election, issues related to the poll are laid to rest. People then come together to fashion the way forward. An elected person has time and term to be in office and others support him and wait for another opportunity to contest election again. We are making giant strides in various sector and we all can see the progress being made. We were rated first in transparent execution of budget. We also came first in NECO examinations and our position in WAEC examinations also improved significantly.
“I implore the people of the state to support us and help sustain all these gains. Also important is the fact that in the last two years there has not been any political killing or harassment of anybody as that is not my calling. I am not standing in the way of anybody. Though there is no perfect man, we are trying our best possible. I appreciate all the former governors and the leaders of this state, they have made their own impact too,” he said.
The governor also paid tributes to royal fathers and community leaders in the state for their efforts that culminated in the creation of the state 20 years ago.
He said generations yet unborn would benefit from their efforts by having a state of their own where they can aspire to be great.
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