Since he was elected in 2014, the Ekiti state Governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose, has always been in the news, often for wrong reasons. If he is not defending election rigging, he is justifying his poor performance as chief executive. In the very best, the only noble achievement he boasts of is his notorious “stomach infrastructure” programme with which he loots state funds. No one as seen a single road his administration built or renovated. He has no legacy of sustainable development other than his so-called stomach infrastructure, on which he has a “Special Adviser”, by name one Mr. Sunday Anifowose.
If the so-called stomach infrastructure is development-oriented and creative, maybe the struggling Fayose’s administration might have a face-saving excuse, but no. rather, Fayose prefers to be seen in “ponmo” or “agbo Jedi” sectors eating and drinking as though governance is not a serious business. His media team will take pictures of him eating in public restaurants during office hours like a jobless man. If the stomach infrastructure is something that leads to, say the revamping of the Igbemo Rice mill (just like the Abakaliki rice) which has the capacity to generate thousands of jobs for numerous unemployed youths in the state, things would have been better. Can you cast your pearls before swines? Fayose will rather prefer to lead a people who, like pigs, are led by their stomachs than a people who are led by their heads!
Before we are been accused of being an anti-PDP writer, let us be quick to educate those who prefer to be led by the stomach that the Ebonyi state government (under a PDP governor) has increased rice production to the extent that the state is selling rice to other states in Nigeria in the process creating employment for its people. Can the loquacious Fayose be at least humble enough to learn from his Ebonyi counterpart how to make money producing local rice at a time like this? Even the Lagos state government during Christmas decided to partner with faraway Kebbi state for the production of rice when there is the potential in Ekiti to produce rice. Is it not an indictment that Mr. Fayose is not aware that the partnership has created opportunities for Nigerians in Lagos to buy a bag of rice in Lagos at N12,000 while it is sold at N20,000 in Fayose’s Ekiti?
Let us even be bold enough to ask what Governor Fayose has done with the bailout funds provided by the federal government since 2015? I remember posting on my several social media accounts in October for anyone with adequate information on Ekiti to furnish me with information on how many roads, schools or hospitals so far built by the Fayose administration since 2014. What and what has the governor been doing with the funds provided for him? He was one of the governors that came up against the federal government probing the funds to the state, so what did he do specifically with his portion in Ekiti? I tweeted this to the governor’s official Twitter handle and got no reply. I probably did not get a reply because I didn’t include stomach infrastructure. That is what you get when a people are led by their stomach like pigs!
Olalekan Waheed ADIGUN is a political analyst and independent political strategist for wide range of individuals, organisations and campaigns. He is based in Lagos, Nigeria. His write-ups can be viewed on his website http://olalekanadigun.com/ Tel: +2348136502040, +2347081901080
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