Date Published: 10/25/10

Group carpets Fayemi over appointment of SSG

The Ekiti Justice Group (EJG) has described the appointment of Secretary to Ekiti State Government (SSG) from Governor Kayode Fayemi’s local government as an insult to the remaining 15 local councils in the State, especially those from the South Senatorial District.

EJG, in a release signed by its National Coordinator, Dr. Tunji Oluwasanmi said Fayemi’s appointment of SSG from his local government cannot be justified, saying; “the governor has demonstrated he has no respect for zoning as practised by previous governments in the State.” The statement read; “Our attention has been drawn to the appointment of Alhaji Gani Owolabi from Ilupeju-Ekiti, Oye Local Government Area of Ekiti State as the new Secretary to the State Government (SSG). “Though we are not contesting the competence or otherwise of Alhaji Owolabi, we are however miffed by the jettisoning of the age-long zoning of political office in the State among the three senatorial districts.

“There are three top positions in the executive arm of government which are governor, deputy governor and SSG. If the governor is from the North Senatorial District, deputy is from Central, then for equity sake, the SSG ought to have come from the South. But in this case, the South Senatorial District was not only denied of the SSG position, but the position has also been taken by Oye Local Government which produced the governor and a Senator!

“To us in ETG, a group which has equity has its watchword, this is not only absurd and insulting, but a sign of what to expect from the Fayemi-led government “We are sure that competence is going to be touted as reason for this lopsided appointment, but our question is; are there no competent people in the six local councils making up the South senatorial district?

“Is it that in Ikere, Ise, Gbonyin, Emure, Ekiti Southwest and Ekiti East Local councils, no Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) member was competent enough to be made SSG if competence is what Fayemi needed instead of concentrating two major political offices in one local government?

“The only way to qualify the appointment of SSG from Fayemi’s local council when there are 15 other councils in Ekiti is that the comedy of errors has started in Ekiti and the earlier this is corrected the better for the Fayemi-led government because our people cannot be taken for a ride by anyone.”