STOMACH INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE AGONY OF DASHED HOPES IN EKITI By Eniola Fadipe

There is time and season for everything in life. Every trick is not an exception.

Some politicians are notorious for promising what they can’t or don’t intend to fulfil. They take the electorate for fools and hoodwink them with fake promises that evaporate as soon as they get into the coveted office.

I see these types of politicians as con artists and 419ers, to borrow Nigerian typical language. However, you can only fool the people some of the times, not all the times. Ekitikete has been fooled too many times by Dr. Ayodele Fayose, the Executive Governor of Ekiti state. He has constantly invented different tricks over the years to fool the people and sway things in his favor at every successful contest. Like or hate Fayose, he is a master of tricky games. You can’t beat him at it because nobody does it better. At every contest, he had capitalized on the weaknesses, complaints and yearnings of Ekitikete to achieve his aim. He carefully studied what the people complained about, raised their hope by promising to give them more than what they asked for only to dash their hope in the end.

In 2003, he capitalized on water scarcity viz-a-vis the malfunctioning of Ero dam and the yearnings of Ekitikete for pipe born water. He invented and promised the “provision of water for every household” in 2003. He didn’t stop at making promises, he actually supplied water to every community with a promise to make the provision of water his cardinal agenda if voted in. Unfortunately, he jettisoned the promise for the building of poultries the moment he got into power. He stopped the supply of water to communities because he had already achieved his aim with the trick. He avoided the talk or mentioning of water all through the 3 years he spent before he was removed from office through impeachment. Even the malfunctioning Ero dam that was tagged “epileptic” because of the unpredictable nature of water supply back then died completely under his watch. Till today, there is no pipe born water in Ekiti state and nobody remembered to ask Fayose about his promise back then.

Every good policy of government will always have positive and negative effects. The negative will always be temporary while the positive is for life, provided it’s good policy. Today, we celebrate free education of Baba Awolowo but people forget to always ask the question of how it was funded. Most people erroneously assumed free education was funded back then because of the huge plantation of cocoa in the Southwest. It was actually funded with taxes that was introduced by Baba Awolowo. As usual, people resisted the taxes back then and called the man names. However, nobody remembers or talks about the pains of those taxpayers back then. We now celebrate the results of their sacrifice which is free education.

Fayemi attempted to enshrine (instill) due process into governance thereby blocking some financial leakages of the government in the process. The only constant thing in life is change but naturally people always resist change because of the unforeseen consequences. Those who had hitherto benefitted from the porous nature of governance, before JKF, cried out that developmental policies, projects and programs were not enough. The resistance led to series of complaints here and there.

In 2016, Fayose also capitalized on the ripple effects of some policies of JKF vis-à-vis the complaints against his style of governance. They couldn’t fault any of Fayemi’s programs or projects but the complaints were that people were hungry while gigantic projects and multimillion programs abound everywhere. True to type, Fayose again capitalized on these and invented “stomach infrastructure” for the 2016 election. The creation of stomach infrastructure slogan against JKF became inevitable because it was absolutely difficult if not impossible to fault him on performance.

Stomach infrastructure was very apt as campaign slogan in 2016 because it indeed captured the trend, addressed the yearnings of some people and gave (false) hope. Fayose promised to patronize only local contractors, appoint only home based politicians and make payment of salary his paramount concern. The icing on the cake was his assurance to make payment of salary his number one priority. He would rather pay salary to put food on the table of the civil servants than to embark on the provision of infrastructure. What’s the purpose of infrastructure when the people are hungry?

Fayose rode gallantly on the negative perception and outcry against Fayemi’s preference for infrastructures and due process. He swore and promised never to use the government house that Fayemi built. Upon assumption of office, he threw open the gate of the government house and ushered in his followers and told his gullible visitors, you are the government; the house belongs to all of you; I can’t leave here while many of you live in penury; I will not use this unreasonable government house. To demonstrate his decision and desire to live a pauperized life like them, he opted to use an old Mercedes as official car, eat and drink with them at local joints, ride okada around the town and attended every local party around. Unfortunately, these were short-lived. Fayose did move to the government house and shut the gate against his gullible friends few days after making the promise. He didn’t just drop the old Mercedes but replaced it with multiple Range Rover and other exotic SUV for himself and his family.

Just like Fayose failed to fulfil the water promise of 2003, he also failed to fulfil all the promises he made in 2016. It’s on record that more than half of his cabinet members were based outside Ekiti state. The same crime he accused Fayemi of. To cover up for this, he imposed artisans into house of assembly and local governments administrations thereby creating legislature and local government executives that turned out to be his rubberstamp. It’s equally surprising that all major contracts of his government were awarded to contractors who are not based or from Ekiti state, the same crime Fayemi was crucified for. In his attempt to fool the people again and make them believe that he is patronizing local contractors, he bought chicken from local poultry owners and awarded sowing contracts to local tailors to sow Christmas clothes for some selected kids. The biggest disappointment of Fayose however is his inability to fulfil his promise to place workers welfare far and above infrastructure. I am sure Ekiti workers now know better.

I congratulate Ekitikete on the Ado Ekiti flyover. Our people don’t have to go to Lagos before they see flyover, according to Fayose. That means the flyover wasn’t considered or built for economic value but for show. Yeah, it’s beautiful but at what cost and whose expense. Ekiti workers are being owed several months of unpaid salary. The pensioners are the most hit, as their pension and gratuity are of less concern to the governor. He was quoted to have said that, he is yet to properly take care of the living (civil servants) while the dead (pensioners) are bothering him. Ekitikete, this is where stomach infrastructure led you to.

Fayemi wasn’t good enough because he created social security for indigent elderly without making them queue like they now do for chicken and rice. Fayemi wasn’t good enough because he employed thousands of jobless youths (dagrin) who were later sacked by Fayose. Fayemi wasn’t good enough because he modernized Ikogosi warm springs and turned it around to international tourism center which is now a shadow of itself. Fayemi wasn’t good enough because he ensured that contracts were awarded to reliable contractors who actually delivered. Fayemi wasn’t good enough because he appointed Ekiti indigenes with verifiable second address. Fayemi wasn’t good enough because he attempted to increase the productivity and output of Ekiti civil servants. Fayemi wasn’t good enough because he attempted to revive our moribund industries. Fayemi wasn’t good enough because he insisted on due process. Fayemi wasn’t good enough because he made sure that every community was touched with necessary infrastructures. Fayemi wasn’t good enough because he dared to make the best of our meagre resources and avoided wastages. Fayemi wasn’t good enough because he detested frivolity and bogus lifestyle. Ekitikete, you have witnessed, experienced and enjoyed all these yet somebody bamboozled you with a mere slogan of “stomach infrastructure” and you traded gold for copper.

Ekitikete you were fooled with water in 2003 but in 2016 it was with stomach infrastructure. Unfortunately I am yet to see anybody who can boast or claim to have enjoyed the stomach infrastructure under Fayose in the last 3 years. He claimed to be in control of Ekiti politics because he simply knows how to fool the people. He understands the psyche of the people and how to play on their weaknesses and intelligence. Fayose would have loved to contest again but unfortunately there is no room for 3rd term. That is why he is hell-bent to impose his deputy on Ekitikete. Water in 2003, stomach infrastructure in 2016. I can’t wait to see what the joker will be this time. Perhaps, continuity of stomach infrastructure. Ekitikete, the choice is yours!!!!

Eniola Fadipe writes from Ajilosun, Ado Ekiti. Email: [email protected]