Ekiti: A people in need of peace

By Adeyele Adefusi

SINCE General Sani Abacha hearkened to the cries of the long suffering and neglected people of Ekitiland and got his government to create a state of their own, that region of intelligentsia had hardly known peace. And this is an unfortunate irony, because the main reason why the prominent sons and daughters of this state, which prides itself as fountain of knowledge, clamoured for a state of their own was to have an enabling environment for accelerated development. Now, they have the much desired and much deserved state, and yet development, slow or accelerated has continued to elude them.

The military came and played their part, and handed over the baton to civilians. Barrister Adeniyi Adebayo, the youthful son of the famous General Adeyinka Adebayo mounted the saddle on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy and played his part. A cool-headed gentleman, Adebayo did the best he could as far his knowledge and experience of life could carry him. Then Mr Ayo Fayose rolled in with the hurricane of 2003. Sadly for the Ekiti people, and even for Fayose himself, the young man did not understand what politics was all about, nor did he appreciate the very essence of the educated elite that were in the forefront of Ekiti emancipation.

A rabble rouser, no doubt, Fayose assumed, rather ignorantly that what governance was all about was turning roasted plantain to a chewing stick and parading the market place like a motor park tout. While that approach was forced down the throat of several ignorant people in the state, the enlightened elite and the traditional institution found this obnoxious style rather repulsive and unbefitting of the dignity of the office of the governor or the decent taste of the highly educated Ekiti people.

As to be expected, Fayose’s unorthodox and motor park style brought the peace loving Ekiti people into unending crises of monumental proportions including but not limited to the infamous chicken and egg saga, impeachment and counter impeachment, stories of murder, assassinations, kidnappings and the tragedy of having “three governors” occupying a single chair!

Now Ekiti State is beginning to breathe an air of relief with the arrival on the scene of a very fine and refined gentleman who is a proud product of the best traditions of the Yoruba people. Engineer Olusegun Oni, the new occupant of the government house has demonstrated in less than a year that he is a well brought up individual, a quintessential Ekiti son who appreciates respect for the elders and the cherished values of the Yoruba people.

It is instructive to note that within the last ten months or so, Oni has been able to restore a good measure of peace and stability to Ekiti State. And this restoration has in turn been encouraging investors from far and wide into the state. But while this quiet and very peaceful first citizen of the state is busy fashioning out new and positive direction for the state, rabble-rousers and bad sportsmen are busy undermining his efforts and are still hell bent to return Ekiti State to the sad episode of the past.

Elections have been fought and won, and in Oni’s characteristic humility, he has called on everybody in the state to put the past behind them and put hands on the plough for Ekiti’s forward-march. Unless the mischievous, nobody would fail to heed the clarion call to a purposeful future for their people.

Ekiti State in spite of her unequalled abundance of human resources, not only in Nigeria, Africa, but also around the globe, can ill afford unproductive litigations and distractions. Ekiti State must have peace. And at no period in their chequered history have they been lucky with a leader in the mould of Olusegun Oni, a gentleman whose entire energy is being deployed to the betterment of Ekiti State and her people. And the records are there. His laudable achievements should not be underplayed because he is not a noisemaker. Like all great achievers throughout history, Governor Oni believes, quite rightly, that action speaks louder than voice. His rural water supply scheme speaks volumes while the beautification drive is a glowing testimony to the quality of his schooled mind.

Ekiti should not be allowed to sink into irrelevance in Nigeria. All the respected voices in that state of proud warriors of the ancient times, all traditional institutions in the state, the very articulate Ekiti student unions across the country, the women unions and organizations, the public service and the entire labour force in the state, and the religious organizations across board must all rise in unison to demand peace, continuous and congenial peace for their people. Never again should Ekitiland allow stone throwers from outside the state to despoil their land and ruin the future of their children.

Adefusi, a public policy analyst, wrote from Ibadan.