In the
eve of the rerun of the Ekiti State governorship election in April 2009, I made
a bold prediction in my “Give us this moment” that Dr. Kayode Fayemi will come
out on top. My prediction was based firstly, on my assessment of Fayemi’s
background and his 10-point agenda for the development of the state, and
secondly on my understanding and appreciation of the demographics of the state
as the Land of Honor and the home of a people with an unquenchable appetite for
knowledge.
We all
witnessed the rerun election and its discontents which prompted my “Ekiti
wonder” the following week, followed by my “Weapons of mass deception.” Those
were the days of the locust. I am hopeful that we have all learned from that
sordid experience with its ugly stain on our young democracy and can now look
forward to the upcoming election with renewed confidence in the system.
Fayemi
had to wait for another year before his mandate was restored by the Appeals
Court. His patience was tried. His resolve was tested. His humanity was
challenged. In the end, he came out triumphant. His triumph was not just
because his mandate was restored, but especially because with the ultimate
result he proved that (i) the people’s voice and action will not be ignored and
(ii) the hope and aspirations of the people will not be disappointed.
I do
not live in the country and in my short-term visits since 2010 I have not been
privileged to visit Ekiti. I have only seen Governor Fayemi two or three times
at events in Lagos in the last three and a half years. Though, he visits
Washington metro area every now and then, our paths don’t cross. I mention this
to make an important point. I evaluate him on the basis of (a) his fidelity to
his campaign promise based on credible reports of independent observers and (b)
the integrity that he brought to governance. Outside of these, nothing else
matters to me. I have heard a lot of complaints: Fayemi doesn’t give
recognition to party leaders. He doesn’t reward party members. He is being
advised by a few, etc. This is all hogwash. We need to go beyond personality
politics and a “me-too mentality” and embrace the ideal of governance.
We
elect leaders to lead in accordance with the promises that they make. If they
succeed in fulfilling the majority of those promises, and they make a
good-faith effort to fulfil the rest, then it is only fair that they be given a
second term to carry out the rest. When a leader fails abjectly because he has
no clue about what he got into in the first place, then no matter how gentle or
loving or friendly he may be, to “reward” cluelessness with a second term is to
mortgage the lives of millions of people.
Secondly,
while everyone has a right to present him-or herself for the position of a
governor, I feel strongly that, as a matter of political morality, members of
the same political party who originally gave the incumbent the mandate to lead,
have a heavy burden of moral responsibility to support him for a second term as
long as he delivers on his promises and the party’s manifesto. This is on the
understanding that there is always going to be future opportunities for other
aspirants within the party. These are important issues for our political
development in this country. The splintering of political parties on the basis
of nothing more serious than a “me-too can be governor” doesn’t help our cause.
Now,
what has Fayemi accomplished to deserve a second term in office? I will attempt
to answer this question based on a candid comparison of my 2009 election eve
optimistic assessment of what a Fayemi administration will do and what the
Fayemi administration has actually done.
In
“Give us this moment” I maintained that I was sure that Ekiti people will give
Fayemi their mandate because as a people fired up for knowledge and honor, they
knew best who can deliver their dream Ekitiland. After almost four years, I am
sure that the people can now say that the Land of Honor has reclaimed its
glory. Decency has returned to governance. Assume that there has been no
material improvement, which is certainly not the case; this return of decency
to governance would still be a big deal. Who want to be associated with rascality
and hooliganism?
Secondly,
I observed in 2009 that “Ekiti indigenes know which candidate in this election
has an agenda for their welfare needs.” I ca now boldly assert that Fayemi has
fulfilled his promise to look after the aged and the needy. The N5000 monthly
social security benefit for the elderly citizens of the state is a gesture that
lets them know that their years of productive services to the state are greatly
appreciated. In the same category are the free health program and the free health
mission that the State government embarked upon as soon as Fayemi took over.
More than two-thirds of the state population in need of these services have
benefitted from the programs.
Thirdly,
in 2009 I based my prediction that Ekiti will elect Fayemi as their Governor on
his agenda for education. I observed then that the “Fountain of Knowledge” will
make education its foremost industry again by improving access to quality
education towards creating a knowledge economy…Computer education will be
prioritized in the spirit of the 21st century advances.” I cannot overemphasize
the significance of good education for our country and our region, and for me,
it is this particular aspect of his campaign promise that attracted my
attention.
In view
of the fact that years of the locust have had a debilitating effect on our
educational system, it will take more than four years in office to make an
appreciable impact. But Governor Fayemi has started well with bold plans and
strategic thinking. The renovation of schools has been a top priority for him.
He has provided laptops for students. He has inaugurated the Committee on Ekiti
State Integrated Science and Technology Education Transformation Framework and
Roadmap with a view to positioning the economy of the state and converting its
“intellectual capital to prosperity for the people of Ekiti.” As I also
observed five years ago, “a progressive politician measures success by how many
citizens he or she lifts from the depth of poverty onto the pinnacle of
knowledge and wealth.” I think Fayemi has opened the path for the desirable
uplift of Ekiti citizens.
If
education is the key, then those who have the responsibility to provide sound
education for the children must also have sound knowledge and the temperament
to educate for success. I have been an educationist all my life with the
exception of a couple of off-years. As a proud recipient of the Teachers’ Grade
III and Teachers’ Grade II certificates, I take teaching seriously and I have
tried to give my students the best.
I am
disheartened about the current state of the education of our teachers. I am
even more disappointed about our approach to further training. I believe that
this was the context in which Governor Fayemi proposed the further training and
testing of teachers. That proposal was politicized but there was a good
intention behind it and I expect that teachers would see beyond the
unprincipled politics of others who try to put a wedge between them and Fayemi.
I
observed in 2009 that Fayemi promised the infrastructural development of the
state. In the three and a half years that he has been in the saddle, he has
transformed the state with the building of roads, linking major towns in the
state, successfully accessing development funds from international agencies such
as the World Bank. We have reports of rural electrification projects and
construction of water-works across the state.
Finally,
citizens of Ekiti know Fayemi as a compassionate leader who has demonstrated
his democratic credentials. They will again give us this moment to savor and
cherish when they elect him for a second term in office on June 21, 2014.