Moving Ekiti towards the promised land

By Segun Olatunji

For those interested in the development of Ekiti State Pre-May 29, 2007, what was happening in the state known as the Fountain of Knowledge was a disaster. Things stood at a stand still as angry and unmotivated civil servants declined to put in their maximum efforts while some desperate politicians also heated the polity thus making development a scarce commodity in the state.

All that is now history with the swearing-in of Engr. Segun Adebayo Oni as the captain of the state’s battered and rapeship. Like a magic, things started to work in a fashion that has made those who had written-off the state as a failed state to see hope and genuine commitment and determination on the part of the leadership.

Those who thought that the attempt at challenging his victory by going to the tribunal, would distract him, were roundly disappointed that rather being distracted by the judicial process, Governor Oni like a man of destiny has been running against time, moving faster than his supporters and traducers thought.

Within his first 100 days in office, the engineer turned politician had laid solid foundations upon which the rapid transformation of the state is now being built.

First to be addressed was issued that affect the agents of the developmental projects of the governor – the workers. Governor Oni paid over N1.78billion to clear the backlog of arrears of gratuities covering 1994-2007. While beneficiaries took their dancing shoes and started singing and praising their creator, the governor increased salaries of civil servants by more than 17 percent. Apart from this, Oni equally paid severance allowances to all former political office holders in the state including his predecessors, Otunba Niyi Adebayo and Mr. Ayodele Fayose respectively.

Other goodies followed in quick succession. Housing loan to civil servants and teachers increased from N250,000 and N500,000 to N1.5m. They also had the opportunity to access car loans which also increased from N80,000 to N1.5.

Governor Oni believed so much in the old but time-tested saying that education is the key to development. The state government initiated massive renovation of structures and provision of facilities, supply of free English and Mathematics textbooks to all Junior and Secondary School Students, full payment of WAEC fees for all candidates in all public secondary schools, free JAMB forms to all qualified students plus weeks free coaching, re-introduction of boarding schools with provision of high class facilities for sports, provision of desks and chairs to pupils and students of primary and secondary as well as their teachers, schools establishment of a full fledged University of Education and the payment of N189.4million scholarship to students in Senior Secondary Schools and Tertiary Institutions among others.

The administration of Governor Oni has also spent over N3.2billion on water projects which now made it possible for water to flow in public taps in all the nooks and crannies of the state. Most of the public taps had gone dry for close to 17 years running.

As a man who believes in the rule of law, the state government has paid all inherited judgment debt arrears except those on appeal, payment of backlog of death benefits to beneficiaries of deceased public officers’ Estates since the inception of Ekiti State . Now in Ekiti State, processing and payment of death benefits is now limited to a maximum of two months Governor Oni has signed 13 bills in to law, the highest so far since the advent of democratic rule in the state, six are being worked on by the State House of Assembly, two are pending before the State Executive Council, three are before the originating MDAs, and 12 under consideration while Federal High Court has commenced seating in the state from 26 May, 2008.

It is also worthy to note that Citizens’ Rights Centres have been established in all the local government areas of the state. So far, 762 public complaints have been handled between January and May 2008.

Already, there is a Road Revolution in Ekiti State , the first of its kind since creation. While Road Construction works inherited from previous administration have been completed, the Oni administration has initiated 340.90 kilometres network scattered in all the three senatorial districts of the state some of which are now ready for commissioning.

As part of efforts to eliminate poverty in the state and take dividends of democracy to the door steps of all and sundry in the every community of Ekiti, Governor Oni established a Micro Credit Scheme christened “Ekiti State Micro Credit Agency” which had disbursed over N600million loans to about 19,000 beneficiaries in the 16 local government areas of the state. Encouraged by the positive administered of the loans by the beneficiaries, Governor Oni had indicated the intention of his administration to increase the loan from N100,000 to N250,000 per beneficiary by next year.

In the area of commerce, within his shortest tenure, Governor Oni administration has been able to create the needed enabling environment for business to thrive which had led to the establishment of Eight branches of banks, the NNPC Mega Station, offices of federal parastatals and agencies among others in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

The health sector has also received a boost under Governor Oni’s Administration with the establishment of a full-fledged Teaching Hospital at Ado-Ekiti which was not in existence on assumption of office while 13 consultants/specialists were recruited into the service from the only one of the administration inherited. There was also massive recruitment of other health workers into the service. Under the monthly free health intervention of the administration over 121,270 patients have been screened with over 6,000 provided drugs while 10,750 were provided eye glasses and 489 undergone surgeries. Over 2,800 patients also participated in the surgical festival introduced by the administration with 1,180 provided with free drugs and 1,270 undergone minor and major surgeries.

Olatunji is Senior Media Assistant to Governor Segun Oni of Ekiti State.