From WOLE BALOGUN, Ado Ekiti
The All Progressive Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has urged all the 36 states’ governors in Nigeria to adopt governor Kayode Fayemi’s anti -poverty policies such as free education and regular payment of workers’ salaries and pensions to better the lives of the citizens.
This was made known through the former Special Assistant to the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on AIDS, Loans and Debt Management, Adesola Gold Adedayo, a chieftain of the party.
The party said placing high premium on these two pivotal areas have changed Ekiti’s economic landscape and reduced sufferings among the masses .
Speaking with newsmen in Osun-Ekiti on Monday, in Moba Local Government area of the state yesterday , Adedayo said Fayemi has been able to change the wrong perception that Ekiti is not economically viable within one year he assumed office .
Adedayo, who is also an ex-Executive Assistant, office of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Osun State, stated that with Fayemi’s initiative and passion for education, it is now a criminal offence in Ekiti, with stringent punitive measures carrying many years of jail term, for parents to keep children of school age out of schools.
“Under Ayodele Fayose led government , students of public and private primary and secondary schools were paying taxes under the guise of development levy which deprived many students from poor backgrounds of education .
“The economy of Ekiti was majorly built on the civil service structure. Before Governor Fayemi came on board, the PDP government was owing between five and eight months of workers’ salaries. That of pensioners was nine months which increased the poverty level and destroyed our economy.
“With regular payment of salaries, the economy has changed for better. Investors have now seen Ekiti as a veritable avenue to invest their monies as evidenced in the return of Guarantee Trust Bank(GTB) and other global partners like British Department for International Affairs(DFID) to Ekiti.
“Recent statistics showed that Ekiti has 100 Percent compliant with enrollment of children of school age, thereby making the state to rank first in Nigeria. This has further reignited our pride as a Fountain of knowledge and gave us a good future as a state”.
The former House of Representatives aspirant in Ekiti State , praised the governor for expanding the state’s scholarship to benefit students from secondary to PhD level, saying this will restore Ekiti’s glory as the real education nerve-centre of the nation.
In the area of infrastructure, Gold said Fayemi is gradually giving Ekiti a facelift through the completion of the Ekiti State Civic Centre and the revamping of Ero and Egbe Dams to supply potable water to 14 local governments areas of the state.
“The Turnaround maintenance of the two dams have brought about the world bank partnership with Ekiti for the laying of 250 kilometres water pipes in Ado Ekiti metropolis .Olorunda and Olorunsogo areas are major beneficiary of this policy.
“Some intra city roads in Ado Ekiti have also been tarred like Ajibade-Okeila road to ease traffic flow in the capital city.
