Fayemi
Ekiti
State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi has assured Ekiti people that his
administration will not abandon projects inherited from previous
administrations in the State.
Speaking
in Afao Ekiti on Wednesday during his tour of The Gifted Academy
built by the Ayo Fayose-led government, Dr Fayemi stated that though
he may not agree with his predecessor on the rationale behind the
establishment of some projects, abandoning those projects would
amount to wasting the resources of Ekiti State.
The
governor who re-echoed his administration’s perception of
governance in “the continuum frame” recalled that he completed
virtually all projects left behind by the Segun Oni-led government in
2010 because they were executed with public funds.
He
explained that the tour was aimed at having a comprehensive
assessment of all projects.
“When
I came as governor, I completed to the best of my ability virtually
all the projects left behind by the Oni administration. It was my
government that completed some of the roads started by Oni. It was my
government that completed Ipoti-Odo Owa- Ila Orangun road,
Otun-Osun-Iloro road, Isan – Ilemeso road, we completed the House
of Assembly complex. It has always been our intention to see
governance in a continuum frame.
“We
don’t make discreet compartmentalization of governance but where we
are today, it is inevitable, we have to take a comprehensive look at
all projects whether we have the resources to work on them is another
matter.
“The
important thing is these have been funded by Ekiti money not by a
particular governor who embarked on the project. I may disagree with
many of the things put in place by my predecessor but I don’t think
it is in my place to abandon them because I am abandoning the
resources of the State”, he said.
Governor
Fayemi noted that it was his administration that facilitated the
World Bank support for the funding of the Gifted Academy though the
project was executed by Fayose hence the need to ensure that the
facility is put to good use.
The
governor said though Fayose shut down the Federal Government Girls’
College, Isan Ekiti, a similar project initiated by Fayemi, he would
not embark on a vendetta mission of cancelling the Gifted College
since it belongs to Ekiti people and not Fayose.
His
words: “The gifted academy which was built by the last
administration as a SEPIP project and you may be aware that SEPIP
project was what I started and I got the money from the World Bank
and we have various DLIs and those were the basis for giving us the
money; you make some things happen and you got the money from the
world bank.
“If
you go to the Technical College in Ado, that is also a World Bank
project. It is good that we have this but it must be put to good use.
“We
had a similar project in my own community but when the Fayose
government came, he shut the school down the Federal Government
Girls’ College. In fact, the Principal had been appointed, students
had been admitted the whole place was ready but because it is in his
predecessor’s community, just as he attempted to cancel the College
of Technical Agric, Isan Ekiti, that probably the fear why he would
want a single student here despite that it was not academic session
yet.
It
doesn’t make any sense to have just a single student being taught
here by probably twenty or thirty teachers and a principal already
assigned. I don’t come from that school of thought that what’s
not mine must be destroyed. The school belongs to Ekiti and it is not
going to be cancelled or destroyed”.
While
stating that the process of admitting students into the school should
be merit-driven, the governor said he would ensure that government
set “a very clear standard that will be adhered to in terms of how
this place will be run because it is a legacy for the future”.
Speaking
on Ire Burnt Brick factory, Fayemi said the decision of his
government to revive the burnt brick factory was to demonstrate the
good “we can make of our natural endowment”.
While
assuring that his government would ensure that the factory continues
to produce, the governor lamented the cancellation of the contract
for the rehabilitation of Afao-Ire-Ilupeju road by the immediate past
government; adding that the new government would provide motorable
road that would make the factory accessible.
“We
will continue to do our best to ensure that the brick industry is in
its best condition to fulfil the dreams of its founding fathers so
that Ire can continue producing. It is not for it to be abandoned.
That
road was awarded before I left and I don’t know what happened to
that contract. Yet you find places that have no commercial value
which we are expending huge amount of our resources. The important
thing is that access must be provided to enable the products to get
out”, he said.
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