Investing in a better tomorrow

By Kolawole Igandan

When he was elected as the Ekiti State governor on April 14, 2007, Engr. Adebayo Olusegun Oni promised to be much more than just another politician. Barely 10 months down the line, he is living up to the billing in delivering qualitative governance to his people.

He is stirring hope among the aged retirees with the prompt payment of their pension and gratuities. He is also attracting the kind of excited reverence reserved for popes with his Road Revolution Programme and Medical Intervention programme (MIP).

What Oni has also done to justify the confidence reposed in him by the electorate is his ability to curb the excesses of reactionary elements that have long seen government as a cow to be milked.

Every thought to him (Oni) is an invitation to a debate in his psyche, testing is merit and attacking from all angles. That is why in Ekiti today, ineptitude and corruption is paving way for economic rigour and reformist politics.

That is why it is no longer business as usual. Think about it, a man draws up a proposal on how to rehabilitate all the roundabouts in Ado Ekiti and calls his governor – friend to tell him the kill they both can make of the deal but to his utter consternation, he was told flatly that some corporate organisation would do it for nothing. Yes, nothing at all. The man would have skimmed the state off of several millions of Naira.

On another occasion, the governor’s friend said to him how the 27 roads contracts can make him rich for life. A scenario was painted of how the governor can skim off percentage from the contractors handling the road projects.

Telling the audience that gathered at the flag off of the Ise – Emure Road project, the governor confessed: “They said, ‘why don’t you share 60% of the 22 billion Naira between yourself and the Deputy Governor’. They said at least, that is a good Christmas gift for us.

“I screamed, telling them that ‘1 billion Naira for me and my deputy?’. We have not seen it before, it could make us go mad”.

That is the new thinking, new direction in Ekiti. The governor is putting himself forward to clean the Augean stable. Yes, the bidding process for the contract award was hectic, said Mr. Wale Balogun, the managing Director of RCF construction Ltd, one of the contractors handling the road contract.

“It was highly competitive and tedious. We had over 70 companies bidding for 26 projects, so we got it because of our technicality and experience.

“We have just completed the BRT project for Lagos State. We are almost completing road net works within Abakaliki Township in Ebonyi which is a World Bank project” he said.

If Oni is not stealing the state blind, the reason is that he has his eyes on the future. He sees a future where all Ekiti men and women are self-dependent and reliant.

Yes, he is an old chip off the block; the typical Ekiti man upholds the age long virtues of honesty. Events in the last couple of years have made this doubtful but again, Oni has come to re-ignite hope that “the good times are here again”.

He (Oni) told the audience at Moba Local Government during the road revolution flag-off that his conscience, more than anything, would not make him plunder the state resources.

Hear him: “What would the money mean to me if my people are still wallowing in poverty in three years from now. What would the money mean to me if our roads remain death traps? If I can spread the money evenly in eradicating poverty, improving their health and constructing good roads, then I can sleep with my eyes closed”

Instead of striking a deal to enrich himself, he struck a bargain to secure the future of the youths and aged, he told the contractors in clear terms. “We want you to also patronize us, we want local content.

Please give jobs to our people. As a local content policy of the government, our people will come to you. You can sub-contract drainage and the rest to them but we want the records.

“Utilise our people. It is not by fiat, but please help us. Engage our people. For the ones you employ, please keep 25 percent of their salary for them. Open an account for them and give them the passbook. We want them to have savings and what to fall back on”.

The validity of a leader’s vision is the most important factor. Oni is trudging on despite the distractions by critics whose parochial interest has beclouded their sense of judgment and reason.

For the investors who see the big picture ahead, Ekiti has suddenly become a haven. The state plays host to expatriates on a daily basis. The Economics and Enterprise Department of the Governor’s Office is a beehive of activities.

Recently, a Chinese delegation led by Mr. Thomas Lim spent a week in Ekiti. They moved from pillar to post and their mission was clear - “To invest in Ekiti State”.

Oni spoke fondly of the State and told the delegation that they cannot be anywhere else: “We are a state that is in a hurry to develop. We have the wherewithal. We are looking for investors that can help us translate our vision.

“We are dangling a carrot of a very good operating environment and a market we will support. Ekiti is about 6,000 square metres. We are nearly 2 million people in population. There is virtually nothing that cannot be grown here.

“We have surface water in abundance. From the various dams that we have, we can see endless possibilities. You can generate electricity from micro/hydro turbine.

“We recognize your interest in sugar. You are free to choose whatever area you want to take. You will get people to be your hard grower. With sugar, you can do bio-fuel. You can also use cassava. In two years, Ekiti will be heavily industrialised”

Another Nigerian-American investor, Mr. George Ayorinde spoke glowingly of Oni, saying that he is comfortable with the level of transparency he has displayed in negotiations with investors.

“I want to commend your attitude to foreign investors. People we have been working with are very proud of the in-depth statistics and technical knowledge you have demonstrated and this has encouraged our investors to partner with you”.

Now Ikun Dairy that has been moribund for decades will come back to life. Investors are already at site. The government has assisted in giving them tanks of water to flush and clean up the machines in preparedness for operations again.

The Ire bricks industry has caught the eyes of investors while the Fountain Motels has been taken over by Investors. The Ikogosi Warm Spring is next in line. Arrangements have been concluded to make the place a tourist haven.

Igandan is a media aide to the governor of Ekiti State.