Date Published: 02/18/10

COME AND SEE WHAT ONI HAS DONE IN EKITI By Joseph Ogunsemi

Impenitently the opposition Action Congress (AC) in Ekiti State through its spokesman, Mr. Yemi Adaramodu has maintained that Governor Segun Oni  has not done anything  in the State to justify the federal allocations and the Internally Generated Revenues (IGR) since his assumption of office in 2007. To the opposition, Governor Oni is a non-performer.  It is only Dr. Kayode Fayemi, the AC governorship candidate, who has battling to remove Governor Oni at the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal for the past three years. The re-run elections held in 63 wards of 10 Local Governments on April 25 and May 5, 2009 were part of AC and Fayemi’s futile efforts to come to power at all costs in the fountain of knowledge. Since Governor Oni returned to office on May 6, 2009, the AC and its cohorts have continued with their campaign of calumny, all in the name criticism.

Governor Oni has consistently maintained that he is not averse to constructive criticisms , as according to him, only the Almighty God is infallible. “We welcome criticisms from people who genuine interest of our State at heart, we need suggestions from our people and other stakeholders. We are not perfect, only God is. But we abhor criticisms that are not borne out of good intentions. Some people are simply mischievous; they won’t see anything good in what we are doing since they are not in government. They had had opportunities of being in government but they did not do much, they messed up and wasted the golden opportunities “, Oni was quoted as saying recently.

Not minding whether or not the criticisms from the opposition were more often than not baseless, Governor Oni has devised some ways to explain and showcase his programmes, policies and projects to the people of Ekiti State, as well as to those who have shown interest in the affairs of the State carved out of the old Ondo State on October 1, 1996. They include the interactive joint programme of the  Broadcasting Service of Ekiti State (BSES), state based Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and Progress FM, tagged Mr. Governor Explains, held once in a month  and the perennial rendering of stewardship, called THE STATE OF THE STATE, usually presented by the governor on the 3 rd Friday of January every year. The third edition was however held on January 22, 2010 and not January 15 because it coincided with the Armed Forces Remembrance Day.    

Expectedly, some callers during the monthly Mr. Governor Explains would asked salient questions while as usual those in the opposition would ask insulting questions with a view to provoking the governor but in his normal cool and calm manner would take his time to counsel the abusive callers. The programme, no doubt provides veritable opportunities for Mr. Governor to clarify and clear the air on some distorted and concocted information filtered out by the notorious opposition in the State. For instance there was a time the opposition went to town with very appalling news that pupils should shun the tea and eggs served by government in schools, maintaining that incisions had been made on the cups and eggs. Awful, you would say!

 Be that as it may, it is snooping to know that that opposition shunned the annual STATE OF THE STATE event where they would have availed themselves the opportunity of interacting with the governor on how he manages the State funds. This is an event where the governor, who is an engineer, would use power points (computers) to show and explain his programmes, projects and policies without mincing words.  The annual event is usually publicized through the mass media, both print and electronics. The opposition cannot just feign ignorance. They are simply not genuinely interested in the affairs of the State, just because they are not in power.

Notwithstanding the repulsive attitude of the opposition, Governor Oni at the STATE OF THE STATE 3, held at The Bishop Abiodun Adetiloye Hall, Trade Fair Complex, Ado Ekiti on Friday, January 22, 2010, presented his report card to the people that mattered, including diplomats, former governors of the State, monarchs, business moguls from within and outside the State, politicians from across the country and prominent Ekiti indigenes at home and in the Diaspora.

It was a modest platform for Governor Oni to shame those who would mischievous pretend not to see what the God-sent is doing in the State to better the lots of the impoverished people of the State. He took his time to graphically explained what he had done with the people’s money and mandate in the last year and what he plans to do in 2010. He also disclosed that in 2009, N58, 297,000,000.00 was budgeted but N44, 388,000,000.00 was received. He also informed that the Recurrent Expenditure gulped N21, 510,000,000.00 while capital accounted for N39, 860,000,000.00. Governor Oni put the Revenue Performance at 76.1% while the Expenditure Profile shows 86.3% and 68.4% for recurrent and capital respectively.      

He told the gathering that IGR for 2009 could not be achieved owing to the interregnum that resulted from the Appeal Court judgment that ordered a rerun governorship poll in the State and the global economic meltdown, believing that there would be improvement in 2010.For 2010, Governor Oni expects revenue of N67, 477,000,000.00. He puts the recurrent at N30, 469,000,000.00.representing 45.2% and capital expenditure to gulp N37, 009,000,000.00, representing 54.8%. 

Governor Oni in specific terms told his guests that in 2009, he brought succor to the people of Ekiti State in the areas of education, health, housing, agriculture, water, infrastructure, public transportation, governance, employment, safety and security  enterprise development and workers welfare, among others.

During the year under review, according to the performance chart, Governor Oni completed 29.04km township roads, 54.46kms under construction. Work is in progress on 418.13 km of major roads in the State. To date the Oni-led administration had completed 342 km, work in progress on 444km while other 169 km roads are proposed for 2010. Towards increasing water distribution in the State, the Oni government in concert with the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) also supplied and laid pipes covering 262km, constructed 7 booster stations and 2million liter reservoirs, rehabilitated two booster stations, constructed 1770 units water Fetching Points, supplied and installed 7 generators  and overhauled existing water treatment plants in Ikun, Egbe, Ado Ekiti, Itapaji, Efon, Igbara Odo, Ido Ile, Okemesi and Ikere Ekiti, al with installing capacity of 180,1000,000 liters.  Contracts for the concessioning of production facilities at Ero Water supply, Ikun; Ado Water supply and Itapaji Water Supply were signed this year. New treatment plants are being worked on at  Erinjiyan, Ido Ile, Okemesi ,Ipole Iloro, Efon Allaye and Afao Kajola, Ikere Ekiti. The one at Ado Ekiti has just been completed.

Governor Oni is not folding his arms on the erratic power situation In the State capital, Ado Ekiti as he has committed N60 million towards the completion of the 132/33KVA Transmission station at Ado Ekiti, which according to him , will soon be completed. He also earmarked N287 million for the compensation of those whose properties were affected by the power line. Two rural communities namely Iro-Ayetej and Ajegunle- Ise have also been connected to the National Grid.

The governor also spent much of the tax payers’ money on education. School pupils were fed with eggs and chocolate twice a week freely, just as furniture were supplied students and teachers free too. Free text books were supplied to students in the State, even as WAEC and NECO registration fees were paid for SSS3 students and free JAMB forms plus 16- week coaching for all qualified students. At least 1650 laptops were supplied to schools while 1705 benefitted from the government scholarship scheme put at N246, 580,400.00

Two Technical Colleges established at Igbara Odo and Iluomoba while standard workshops, hostels and staff quarters were constructed at Ado, Ijero, Otun, Ikole Technical Colleges.Labless Science Kits (Skill G) were supplied schools, just as examination fees were paid for final year students for some professional exams. The government also set up University of Science and Technology at Ifaki Ekiti. Subvention to the State owned University of Ado Ekiti has been increased considerably. Between June 2007 and December 2009, the University got N4,299,000,000.00; College of Education got N3,202,000,000.00; The University of Education received N870,000,000.00, all totaling N8,371,000,000.00 for the period.

One would be unfair to Governor Oni if his unprecedented development of the health sector is left out, on account of space constraints. Between July 2007 and December 2009, 147,794 benefitted from Health Intervention Programme (HIP)  These include Eye camp, Surgical Festival and others. He established one additional School of Nursing/ Midwifery, continues to strengthen the Irewolede Health Scheme and development of College of Medicine and University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti. An Ophthalmological Hospital to reduce the incidence of preventable blindness was set up. Services, including surgery were provided free in January this year.          

On housing, the Oni- led government has completed 101 houses under the Phase 1 and another 136 under the phase 11 at Irewolede Housing Estate, Ilawe Road, Ado Ekiti and Olusegun Obasanjo Estate respectively. Work is in progress at Ifaki Housing Estate (44units); Ilawe phase 111 (12 units); and 700 units planned for 2010.

Governor Oni also invested heavily on youth empowerment via agriculture while taking the welfare of workers, including pensioners seriously. In 2009, he paid N985 million as gratuity and N1.666 billion as pension, totaling N2.651 billion. In 2oo7, he paid N2.248 billion in form of gratuity and pension while in 2008, he paid out N3.635 billion.

 But for space constraints, one would have chronicled what Governor Oni did in other areas if only to let the opposition glance through and gnash their teeth in regrets  for having spoken ill of the anointed. They may not have to praise the gentle man, but there is need for them to pray for forgiveness. Those who are being fed with false reports of the situation in Ekiti may need to come and see what Governor Oni is doing to take the State to the next level.

Ogunsemi is the Senior  Executive Assistant (Media ) to the State Deputy Governor.