APC's Silent Revolution In Ekiti- the Ojudu Factor
The fence mending engagements within the Ekiti State’s All Progressives Congress APC), spearheaded by the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, is gathering enormous momentum.
The APC in Ekiti, it was gathered, seems to be making wrong moves to secure a united and formidable front to seize power from the incumbent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the governorship elections slated for June, 2018. The political party’s combination of peace meetings with political education at the community levels is not only making noticeable in-roads at the grassroots, but attracting mass patronage and fans even at the state’s urban cities. It would be recalled that Ojudu started what he dubbed ‘Community Mobilisation Outreach’ in the state’s three Senatorial Districts just five months ago.
He has since then held several meetings and consultations in all the Senatorial Districts, propagating one and only one message: the APC in the state should be united and all Ekiti indigenes needs to join hands to rescue the state from “political slavery.”At the recent meeting with stakeholders from all the 177 Wards in the state, a visibly concerned Ojudu lamented that “Ekiti is in slavery and our people are calling for help.” “We must respond to their cries and rescuethem. We will rescue the state from all forms of slavery. It is political slavery when our people are reduced to chickens PECKING crumbs thrown at them by an unresponsive governor.”At every given opportunity, whether in Ikole, Ise, Ado, Ijero, Emure, Orin, Agbado or Omuo-Ekiti, the presidential aide spoke of his burning desire for the advancement of all parts of the state, pointing out that governance should bring development, prosperity and self-esteem to the people. “Politics should be about honesty, integrity and development,” he said, and added that he wants compatriots. “I want associates to walk and work for the development of all Ekiti.
There are states in Nigeria with less than half the resources of Ekiti that are now doing way better than our state because the current government lacks what it takes nor the commitment and the vision to uplift the people.”The Special Adviser also used those opportunities to highlight the giant strides of the APC government at the centre, regretting that the current government in his home state has not taken advantage of opportunities created at the Federal level. “We had to mount so much pressure before the current government in Ekiti accepted the School Feeding Programme which will provide high nutrition to hundreds of thousands of our children in addition to the job opportunities for local caterers, suppliers and farmers. “Look at what Kebbi state has done with the Farmers Outgrowers’ Programme. Our neighbour, Ondo state is currently in consultation with the Federal Government on the Cocoa Renewal Programme.
All those initiatives are creating jobs and wealth. But what do we have here?“Our own governor has not even attended a single meeting of the National Economic Council. That meeting is nothing political. It is where governors meet to share ideas for economic development at state level but Ekiti never attends because the current man has no vision.
All he does is to wait for allocation or the Paris Club refund and squander them. That cannot continue.”As Ojudu continues his peace moves, an indigenous socio-political organisation, Ekiti Rebirth Organisation (ERO), is also engaging the people on political education for the “liberation” of the state.
ERO Director-General, Chief Felix Aderanti Adebisi, said the organisation is building a movement that will produce “the vehicle to move our state away from the present anomaly to an enviable one.”A recent visit to Ekiti state exposed a domain where meaningful developments have taken flight. The capital city, Ado Ekiti wore sombre look. Insider Economic activities are at all- time low while young men and ladies of productive age roam the streets. Sesan Adelabu, a 2014 graduate of Economics from the University of Ado Ekiti now work in a popular hotel in Ado Ekiti. He said: “I would have loved to start my own small argic business. I was hoping that the state government will come with initiatives like those in Lagos to support small scale entrepreneurs. Even the government is not mobilising Ekiti indigenes to participate in federal government initiatives like other governors of PDP are doing.
Unemployment has skyrocketed since this man took over the state all we see are bogus project with no direct benefit or employment generating potentials. Just tell me one project he has done to generate employment. None!”However, Ojudu while fielding questions from community leaders had stressed the need for agro-based economic blueprint for Ekiti. “Sometime ago, somebody asked me: if you are elected as governor of Ekiti State, what would you do to rescue the state from poverty and I responded by simply saying: Agriculture, Agriculture and Agriculture.“The other thing I will like to focus on is education. We have all of the things that can make us a great educational state. We have the potentials of building our economy in education like in America where you have the best universities, like Harvard. Every 10 kilometres in the state can accommodate schools. I am not talking of schools that will occupy a vast space of land, 500 hectares of land, 200 hectares of land, kind of schools.“I mean institutions that can exist in just a story building. Institutions where you can learn how to be a good bricklayer, where you learn how to be good mechanics, where you learn how to be good designers,a good theatre performer, where you learn to operate in the hospitality business, design application, weave cloths, learn how to repair agricultural tools.“All these institutions can be located here and there and then people come to benefit from all parts of the world. If Ekiti today is known for producing quality nurses, then people will come from all parts of the country to learn it and then we begin to export nursing, not only in Nigeria but across the world.There is so much we can do and we have the resources, across the world that can help us achieve the goals. That is what is keeping India going today; having institutions for specialised education.There is a particular institute in Delhi where, in a big building, they have nothing less than 200 schools there where they learn specialised trade. The idea of having a 200 hectares institution is out of vogue. It is gone and gone for good. The schools of the future are going to be small, small spaces where people can key in and learn specialised trades and acquire knowledge that will be of benefit, not only to their country but the entire world.“If we key into these two areas, agriculture and education, no state will match us in this nation. If you get to power in this state and you mobilise all effort, mobilise the people here, tell them to go to farm. How much does it cost to equip them? We can decide that all the vegetable need of Lagos would be met by us. Imagine you are doing Ugwu, you are doing Tete, you are doing garden eggs and so on;and you have the biggest poultry in Nigeria in Ekiti State, many of our needs would certainly be met. If we have a thinking governor in the state, all these would be achieved in no time,” he said.
According to Adebisi, “The people are obviously yearning for change. The response we are getting from the people, from our consultations, from our visitations, is that people are ready for the change. We have seen the burning desire in them to experience a change from the present bondage and enslavement.”
The APC in Ekiti, it was gathered, seems to be making wrong moves to secure a united and formidable front to seize power from the incumbent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the governorship elections slated for June, 2018. The political party’s combination of peace meetings with political education at the community levels is not only making noticeable in-roads at the grassroots, but attracting mass patronage and fans even at the state’s urban cities. It would be recalled that Ojudu started what he dubbed ‘Community Mobilisation Outreach’ in the state’s three Senatorial Districts just five months ago.
He has since then held several meetings and consultations in all the Senatorial Districts, propagating one and only one message: the APC in the state should be united and all Ekiti indigenes needs to join hands to rescue the state from “political slavery.”At the recent meeting with stakeholders from all the 177 Wards in the state, a visibly concerned Ojudu lamented that “Ekiti is in slavery and our people are calling for help.” “We must respond to their cries and rescuethem. We will rescue the state from all forms of slavery. It is political slavery when our people are reduced to chickens PECKING crumbs thrown at them by an unresponsive governor.”At every given opportunity, whether in Ikole, Ise, Ado, Ijero, Emure, Orin, Agbado or Omuo-Ekiti, the presidential aide spoke of his burning desire for the advancement of all parts of the state, pointing out that governance should bring development, prosperity and self-esteem to the people. “Politics should be about honesty, integrity and development,” he said, and added that he wants compatriots. “I want associates to walk and work for the development of all Ekiti.
There are states in Nigeria with less than half the resources of Ekiti that are now doing way better than our state because the current government lacks what it takes nor the commitment and the vision to uplift the people.”The Special Adviser also used those opportunities to highlight the giant strides of the APC government at the centre, regretting that the current government in his home state has not taken advantage of opportunities created at the Federal level. “We had to mount so much pressure before the current government in Ekiti accepted the School Feeding Programme which will provide high nutrition to hundreds of thousands of our children in addition to the job opportunities for local caterers, suppliers and farmers. “Look at what Kebbi state has done with the Farmers Outgrowers’ Programme. Our neighbour, Ondo state is currently in consultation with the Federal Government on the Cocoa Renewal Programme.
All those initiatives are creating jobs and wealth. But what do we have here?“Our own governor has not even attended a single meeting of the National Economic Council. That meeting is nothing political. It is where governors meet to share ideas for economic development at state level but Ekiti never attends because the current man has no vision.
All he does is to wait for allocation or the Paris Club refund and squander them. That cannot continue.”As Ojudu continues his peace moves, an indigenous socio-political organisation, Ekiti Rebirth Organisation (ERO), is also engaging the people on political education for the “liberation” of the state.
ERO Director-General, Chief Felix Aderanti Adebisi, said the organisation is building a movement that will produce “the vehicle to move our state away from the present anomaly to an enviable one.”A recent visit to Ekiti state exposed a domain where meaningful developments have taken flight. The capital city, Ado Ekiti wore sombre look. Insider Economic activities are at all- time low while young men and ladies of productive age roam the streets. Sesan Adelabu, a 2014 graduate of Economics from the University of Ado Ekiti now work in a popular hotel in Ado Ekiti. He said: “I would have loved to start my own small argic business. I was hoping that the state government will come with initiatives like those in Lagos to support small scale entrepreneurs. Even the government is not mobilising Ekiti indigenes to participate in federal government initiatives like other governors of PDP are doing.
Unemployment has skyrocketed since this man took over the state all we see are bogus project with no direct benefit or employment generating potentials. Just tell me one project he has done to generate employment. None!”However, Ojudu while fielding questions from community leaders had stressed the need for agro-based economic blueprint for Ekiti. “Sometime ago, somebody asked me: if you are elected as governor of Ekiti State, what would you do to rescue the state from poverty and I responded by simply saying: Agriculture, Agriculture and Agriculture.“The other thing I will like to focus on is education. We have all of the things that can make us a great educational state. We have the potentials of building our economy in education like in America where you have the best universities, like Harvard. Every 10 kilometres in the state can accommodate schools. I am not talking of schools that will occupy a vast space of land, 500 hectares of land, 200 hectares of land, kind of schools.“I mean institutions that can exist in just a story building. Institutions where you can learn how to be a good bricklayer, where you learn how to be good mechanics, where you learn how to be good designers,a good theatre performer, where you learn to operate in the hospitality business, design application, weave cloths, learn how to repair agricultural tools.“All these institutions can be located here and there and then people come to benefit from all parts of the world. If Ekiti today is known for producing quality nurses, then people will come from all parts of the country to learn it and then we begin to export nursing, not only in Nigeria but across the world.There is so much we can do and we have the resources, across the world that can help us achieve the goals. That is what is keeping India going today; having institutions for specialised education.There is a particular institute in Delhi where, in a big building, they have nothing less than 200 schools there where they learn specialised trade. The idea of having a 200 hectares institution is out of vogue. It is gone and gone for good. The schools of the future are going to be small, small spaces where people can key in and learn specialised trades and acquire knowledge that will be of benefit, not only to their country but the entire world.“If we key into these two areas, agriculture and education, no state will match us in this nation. If you get to power in this state and you mobilise all effort, mobilise the people here, tell them to go to farm. How much does it cost to equip them? We can decide that all the vegetable need of Lagos would be met by us. Imagine you are doing Ugwu, you are doing Tete, you are doing garden eggs and so on;and you have the biggest poultry in Nigeria in Ekiti State, many of our needs would certainly be met. If we have a thinking governor in the state, all these would be achieved in no time,” he said.
According to Adebisi, “The people are obviously yearning for change. The response we are getting from the people, from our consultations, from our visitations, is that people are ready for the change. We have seen the burning desire in them to experience a change from the present bondage and enslavement.”
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