 GOVERNMENT OF RESTORATION INAUGURAL ADDRESS OF HIS EXCELLENCY, MR. PETER AYODELE FAYOSE,
GOVERNOR OF EKITI STATE OF NIGERIA, ON THE OCCASION OF HIS
SWEARING-IN CEREMONY AS GOVERNOR ON THURSDAY 16th OCTOBER,2014 AT
THE OLUYEMI KAYODE STADIUM, ADO-EKITI.
Mr President, the Commander-in- Chief of Armed Forces, National Chairman of PDP, Past and present members of the National Assembly, HE, the State Governors, Former State Governors, YE, My Dear Wife, Honourable Ministers, Rt. Hon. Speaker and members of the Ekiti State House of
Assembly, My Lord, the Chief Judge of Ekiti State, My Lord Spiritual and Temporal, All party leaders, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Gentlemen of the Press, Ladies and Gentlemen.
MY GOOD PEOPLE OF EKITI STATE The ceremony of swearing-in, in the form that was just witnessed
today, is the second time of my oath-taking as the Governor of Ekiti
State. You will recall that I took the first oath of office on May
29, 2003, as the flag bearer of the People's Democratic Party after
defeating the then incumbent Governor and his party, the Alliance
for Democracy. That mandate was truncated three and half years later
through my unjust and forceful removal from office on October 16,
2006. The serial events are still fresh in our minds to be recounted
here.
Today marks the eighth anniversary of that dark
episode. Also today, October 16, 2014 marks the epoch of my
inauguration as Governor the second time, under the same umbrella of
the PDP, at this same venue and before the same good people of Ekiti
State. The total glory of these unusual dynamics of history, which
are too precise to be taken away from divinity, goes to the Almighty
God, the Alpha and the Omega.
I want to specially thank the President of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, the
Vice-President, the Chairman of our great Party, the Chairman of the
Board of Trustees, the National Executive Committee, PDP Governors,
and indeed the leadership and entire membership of our Party for the
confidence reposed in me and for their unflinching support in the
struggle to reclaim my mandate.
Also, I want to express profound gratitude to the
good people of Ekiti State for keeping the faith and for identifying
with my destiny, eight years after my experience of travesty of
justice and sojourn in the wilderness of life. I am inclined to
believe that as salvation came to the Jews and Gentiles through one
man, God shall help me to use my own favour and grace to liberate
the Ekiti People from the shackles of poverty, want and
retrogression. I promise to serve you far more than I did during my
first term.
THE TRAGEDY OF THE PAST Good people of Ekiti State, it is highly regrettable that we were
made to swim against the tides in the last eight years. The popular
will of the majority of our people was supplanted with the selfish
interests of a powerful few. We were seized in the jugular by power
mongering demagogues who foisted on us an emergency rule at first.
They thereafter manipulated hallowed democratic institutions and
produced pretenders and interlopers to superintend over us. The ship
of state drifted with neither a compass nor a navigator. Our state
witnessed many tragedies, including destruction of human lives and
properties. There were waste and unproductive expenditure of huge
sums of money, considerable slowing down of progress, and
incalculable sufferings and deprivations. There was smear and malicious campaign of calumny against the
innocent and orchestrated celebration of the desperate. They could
however fool all of the people some of the time, but could not
sustain their foolery for long. Ekiti people have seen beyond their
veil of fraud and deception and rejected them all.
It is our fervent and declared aim to erase the
physical and psychological effects of these tragedies as quickly as
human ingenuity can contrive: to repair the damage, to retrieve lost
grounds, and to promote concord and unity in place of bitterness,
enmity and pretence. We leave the rest to history and posterity. THE
POSITION OF STATE FINANCES My good people of Ekiti State, I left over ten billion naira (in
liquid cash and securities) in this state in October 2006 alongside all the monumental infrastructural and human developments that were emplaced during my first coming. This huge sum was depleted by the
quasi-military emergency government that was foisted on our people by a power
hungry cabal which masterminded and supervised my ouster. All the
governments that forced themselves on the good people of Ekiti since I left
office in 2006, including the out-going cloned democrats, served every interest
other than that of the ordinary Ekiti people. My heart bleeds today as I report
to you, that our state had been plunged into a heavy debt dungeon of over
forty nine billion naira by our own brothers and sisters as follows: (i) Bond (Capital market) and Agric Loan - N21.2b ii) Other Bank Loans - N15.5b (iii) Outstanding, Salary (two months) - N3.2b iv) Unremitted monthly deductions from salary (4 months)
- N2.4b (v) Unpaid Subventions to Parastatals and Tertiary
Institutions - N700m 2014 Leave Bonus - N400m Unpaid Pensions and Gratuities -N3.2b Unremitted withholding taxes and other deductions -N850m Indebtedness to Contractors - NIO.Ob Total = N57.45P The position of monthly accruable incomes (net) to Ekiti State is as
follows: (I) Statutory Allocation from the FG - 2.3b Value Added Tax (VAT) - 650m Internally Generated Revenue - 350m 3.300b Today our state has been committed financially up and until year
2020, even beyond my own administration. The proportionate benefits
of this huge debt profile to our people remain to be seen or felt by
the ordinary man and woman in our state.
My intention here is not to join issues with the
immediate past administration which was substantially responsible
for this debt burden. However, I consider it expedient that this
parlous position of our finances be made known to members of the
public who gave us the mandate to be here. The situation is a
challenge that requires our collective effort and creative devices
to resolve. My consolation and hope is in our astute human resource
capacity and creativity to pull our state out of the palpable
quagmire. I therefore appeal to our people to show understanding at
this period and be wary of their distractive tendencies, unfounded
rumours and outright propaganda of falsehood, as the new government
finds appropriate solutions to this immediate challenge.
INTER-GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS I am very pleased today that Ekiti has returned to the mainstream of
Nigeria politics. My Party believes in a strong, united and
indivisible country. We shall ensure strategic partnership with the
Federal Government and its agencies. We shall make our contributions
in human and natural resources to the Nigerian Commonwealth and also
ensure that we secure our dues. We shall also collaborate with
foreign missions and development partners in our developmental
strides.
REGIONAL INTEGRATION It is a fact that Ekiti, for now, is the only PDP- controlled State
in South West Nigeria. More of them will soon come under the
umbrella by the grace of God. We shall carefully study the
objectives of the existing regional political and economic groups in
the South-west and make our inputs and decisions as appropriate.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION My administration recognizes the importance of Local Government
Councils as the third tier of government and growth poles for
grassroots development. We also appreciate the legitimate yearnings
of our people for rapid socio-economic transformation. Our
developmental strides must however be pursued within the ambits of
the law and the age-long altruism of the maximum good for the
maximum number. Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria as amended, clearly spells out the authorities
and procedures for the creation of Local Governments. The sudden and
shoddy balkanization of the existing sixteen local government areas
by the immediate past administration under the guise of creating
Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) is being challenged in the
court of law. Our Party considers the hurried creation of nineteen
LCDAs, after the incumbent lost the June 21 election, as a
gratuitous after thought of a bad loser. It smacks of political subterfuge
masterminded in utmost bad faith. But at the moment the matter is
subjudice and as law abiding citizens, our government will not do
anything that wiil render the decision of the courts nugatory.
However, pending the pronouncements of the courts, the new
administration shall be guided by the provision of section 3 and
part 1, First Schedule of the 1999 Constitution on the list of Local
Governments in Nigeria, in the allocation of resources to that tier
of Government. We shall ensure real democratization at the local
government level and put in place effective administration for rapid
grassroot development.
DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES Essentially, this government is a government of restoration. We
shall continue with the People-oriented programmes which we started
in 2003. Our destiny is inextricable with that of the Ekiti People.
Our vision is to replace poverty and want with plenty and
prosperity. This we intend to achieve through the following five
cardinal programmes, which were evolved after due consultation with
the people in their various communities, then and now:
a) Empowerment This Government seeks an egalitarian society for all Ekitis at home
and in the diaspora. It shall rekindle hope and restore the
self-confidence that we are * known for. Every Ekiti Person shall be
assisted to pursue and realize his or||
her aspiration(s) in the area of core ability or
competence and encouraged to develop to the fullest without any form
of inhibition or limitation. Government shall create an enabling
environment and provide basic facilities for youths in the various
professions, businesses, vocations, skills acquisition and other
forms of human enterprise. It shall promote equal opportunities for
women and support the physically challenged to demonstrate that
there is ability in disability.
b) Development of Agriculture
Government shall encourage increased agricultural
production towards ensuring food security for local consumption and
also for export. It shall enhance the production of cash crops,
particularly Cocoa and palm oil. It shall lay emphasis on agro-based
projects as a catalyst to employment generation through the
encouragement of small/medium enterprises such as cassava
processing, rice milling, poultry, feed mills, fruit and juice
factories etc. Government shall provide equipment, storage
facilities and soft loans.
c) Infrastructural Development This Government shall ensure the Provision of good and durable intra
and inter-township roads. It shall encourage Local Government
Councils to construct access roads to communities and farmsteads. It
shall collaborate with the Federal Government towards the
realization of Federal Projects including the Federal Secretariat,
the Airport project, the extension of rail line and also on road
maintenance. We shall ensure the rehabilitation of existing dams, in
addition to the replacement of old and damaged water pipes to ensure
improved water supply to all communities. Provision of
enabling environment and partnership with private
investors for affordable housing schemes shall be pursued
vigorously. Education, Science and Technology The PDP Government in Ekiti State shall pursue the restoration of
the past glory in education, and offer free and qualitative
education up to senior secondary level. Teachers shall be accorded
their right of place as critical stakeholders through the provision
of appropriate benefits and conducive working environment. We shall
ensure adequate funding for all levels of education including the
University and all other tertiary institutions in the state. We
shall strengthen our Technical colleges for skill acquisition and
restore bursary awards and scholarship schemes. Health This Government shall provide Free Health care services for children
aged 0-5 years, pregnant women and the physically challenged. It
shall offer affordable and efficient health care for all the
citizens. We shall provide functional equipment and adequate
personnel at all levels of care in addition to rehabilitation of
facilities. Adequate funding and staffing for the University
Teaching Hospital shall be ensured.
f) Security Our Government shall ensure the take-off of the military formation
in Ekiti state. We shall collaborate with the Police and other law
enforcement agencies and support local vigilante groups for the
security of lives and property.
The Public Service This government appreciates the critical role of the public service
as the ^ % engine room of Government. We shall therefore take
appropriate steps towards the restoration of the core values of
professionalism, honesty, integrity, accountability and probity,
which appears to have declined to worrisome levels in recent years
in the public service. We shall halt the ugly trend of
politicization of the service. Consequently, my government shall review all public service
personnel issues including appointment, promotion, and discipline
which were hurriedly effected after the governorship elections. The
Head of Service is hereby directed to return all officers to their
substantive positions as at June 21, 2014. A review panel will be
constituted immediately to advise Government on the merit of each
issue as may be appropriate. This directive extends to Heads of
statutory commissions and boards. The Civil Service shall be
re-positioned to make it serve the interests of the public and
re-directed as a key player in the socio-economic transformation of
our state through objectivity and dutiful implementation of
government development programmes. Priority attention and resources
shall be accorded the training and re-training of officers to attune
them with best practices in governance and service delivery. Events of the last few weeks - Outgoing Government Good people of Ekiti State, the last minute attempt by the
opposition party to truncate the mandate which you freely entrusted
to me on June 21 has clearly confirmed the true character and
direction of interest of these political desperados. Their
machination is to demonise and portray me as a violent person. The
role and indeed the open conduct of some of the judicial fficers in
the plot, are already being investigated by the appropriate
authorities. we await the outcome, my government will join hands with the
appropriate authorities in ensuring that no stone is left unturned
in the re-tracking of our hallowed democratic institutions from
slide and bastardisation. The Judiciary should be truly
re-positioned as the actual temple of justice and last bastion of
hope for all.
Gratitude to all Let me seize this opportunity to, once again, thank Your
Excellencies, Mr. Speaker and members of the House, my lord the
Chief Judge, Your Royal Highnesses, Chiefs, Religious leaders, the
public service, members of the organized private sector, market men
and women, road transport unions, okada riders, artisans,
technicians and indeed gentlemen of the press for gracing this
occasion. With your prayers and good wishes, we shall get to the
Promise Land.
Conclusion Before I am done with this speech, I like to reiterate that the
challenges before this government are enormous. We are however not
rattled by them. We have the capacity and determination to surmount
them all. We have done this before and we shall do it again by the
help of God, and the cooperation of our people.
Finally, Ekiti Kete, men, women, young and old, I
call upon you to join hands with my government to usher in another
era of restoration - of meals to the tables, of smiles to faces, of
money to pockets, of soundness of body and mind and of unique
infrastructural development - as we resume the steady journey to
plenty and prosperity.
I thank you and may the good Lord bless us all.
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