Governor Fayemi gave a special address marking the 2nd anniversary of his administration as governor of Ekiti State. [1] He discussed the progress made over the past 2 years in implementing the administration's 8-point agenda focused on governance, infrastructure, agriculture, education, health, industry, tourism, and gender equality. [2] While challenges remain, the governor highlighted achievements in each sector and expressed confidence that the foundation has been laid for continued progress and development in Ekiti State. [3]

1. A SPECIAL ADDRESS BY THE GOVERNOR OF EKITI STATE,
DR. KAYODE FAYEMI TO MARK THE 2ND ANNIVERSARY OF HIS
ADMINISTRATION ON TUESDAY, 16TH OCTOBER, 2012
On 16th October 2010, exactly two years today, I took the oath of office as
the democratically elected Governor of our dear State. This was a direct
consequence of the judicial pronouncement of the Court of Appeal sitting in
Ilorin on 15th October, 2010 which ruled that I was the lawfully elected
Governor of the State in the April 14 2007 and the April/May 2009
gubernatorial elections in Ekiti State.
Dear Compatriots, the last 24 months have been eventful and exhilarating
in our quest to repair the damage done by the departing authority and at
same time re-start the clock of progress in Ekiti State. I am happy to report
that the State is on the upswing and the light of development is shining
again. Yet I must remind all of my cautionary statement in my inaugural
speech: that this would not be smooth-sailing, that the road will be rough
and the climb will be steep but that this also represents the history of our
people - a history of continuing struggle.
The last two years have also proved that the struggle has been worth the
trouble. Today, the State has successfully risen to address the critical
questions of development and restoration of hope. Even though we cannot
claim to have reached the destination of our journey, we have nonetheless

2. moved away from the spot of stagnation of our recent history. The focus is
clear, the direction is unambiguous, it is movement with motion. Hence the
theme of the celebration is Reclaiming The Trust of Our People, Delivering
The Promise for Our People.
Our administration recognises the power of trust as the necessary variable
to implement our vision of unparalleled progress for our State within a
short period of time. This becomes a major starting point going by the
experience of our people with our predecessors which created an
understandable measure of cynicism about government. We have to
recreate the parameters to make people trust the intentions of government
especially those who have the legitimate mandate to represent the people
and superintend over their commonwealth. This is not an easy task, but I
thank you, the good people of Ekiti State, for believing in us and showing
us tremendous support everywhere we turn since we assumed office. The
people’s trust in the genuine intentions of this government has equally
created in us the urge to do more with every sense of responsibility so as
not to disappoint the people. It has indeed compelled us to step up
competence, openness, concern, and reliability in public conduct.
THE BEGINNING
All of us are living witnesses to the parlous state of affairs in our dear State
when we took office in October 2010. Over N40 billion was hanging
precariously on the State along with many uncompleted and abandoned

3. projects in all sectors. At that time, the State was collecting 2.8 billion naira
monthly from the Federation Accounts.
At the time, there was a palpable loss of hope in the State among the
citizenry. Violence and all forms of criminal activities reigned supreme. Also
pathetic was the state to which governance was reduced. Everybody was
helping himself to the slices that could be taken while acts of governance
became thoroughly politicised in areas of resources allocation and location
of social amenities and public facilities.
Today, the story has changed considerable. We have been able to restore
the core Ekiti values of passion, courage, integrity, character and honour;
we have restored a measure of hope and confidence in Ekiti State.
Based on our model of participatory governance, we have managed to
touch all the sections of the 8-point Agenda, drawn as the Roadmap to
Ekiti Recovery blueprint is made possible because of our bottom-up
approach to development through our town hall/village square meetings to
articulate government programmes. Even though a few of the steps taken
on critical issues have been unsurprisingly controversial, all of us in our
deep inner recesses would appreciate that these are inevitable steps to
march to our corporate place at the top. This is understandable because of
the undignified don’t-let-us-ruffle-the-feather policy of our immediate
past administrations for cheap political relevance and acceptance. These,

4. as we all know, are cosmetic playboy style that neither helped us as an
entity nor added any value to us as a people all the while.
Without being immodest, our record of achievement in the past two years
in Ekiti is better in quality and quantity than the previous seven and a half
years. Many of our people have expressed surprise about where we got the
resources to accomplish all these. My simple response has been that
planning, prudence and total commitment to the Agenda have made all
these possible.
So much has been said about the 8 Point Agenda of this administration.
This is our articulated vision to renew Ekiti State. Saying that we have
pursued this agenda vigorously is an understatement, evidence abound
across the State to attest to the potency of the Agenda as a holistic
transformation blue print.
It is from the prism of the Agenda that I like to present to the good people
of Ekiti State our score card, albeit, briefly as we celebrate the second
anniversary of this government, the inauguration of which you are all core
stakeholders.
GOVERNANCE
We recognise that good governance is the foundation of a developmental
agenda. This explains our regular interface with Ekiti people through
interactive sessions. I have exemplified our trust in the people as the best

5. judges of our activities in government by keeping them abreast of
government’s activities. For instance, prior to the preparation of the 2012
budget, we toured the 16 Local Government Areas in the State to know the
needs of all the communities. Subsequently, we integrated these into the
State’s budget. Shortly before the commencement of the activities
marking the second anniversary, I just concluded another round of village
meetings in preparation for the 2013 Budget. This we intend to sustain not
only to prepare for budget but to biannually appraise our budget
performances. The fact that we run an effective, responsive and
representative government, can be further seen in the establishment of the
Social Security Programme for the aged. The social security scheme was
announced the day I took the oath of office though it actually commenced
a year after because of the need for planning and enumeration. This
comforting safety net for the elderly is now a reference point not only
nationally but also in the West African sub region. With a strong legal
backing which makes its sustainable we have been paying a monthly
stipend of N5, 000 to all registered elderly people in the state who are
above the age of 65. Over 20, 000 senior citizens are benefitting from this
programme.
INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT
In fulfilment of one of our promises to connect all parts of Ekiti State by
motorable roads on assumption of office, we embarked on massive road

6. construction projects across the state. There are 20 on-going projects
initiated by the State Ministry of Works and Transportation. Another 25
road projects which the Ministry inherited were taken over and are at
different stages of completion. As we celebrate this second anniversary, no
fewer than ten of the roads had been commissioned and many more
before the end of the year. The jinxed Ado-Iworoko-Ifaki-Road which,
when inherited by this administration, had gulped 80 percent of contract
sum with less than 20 percent completion witnessed a turn-around. From
the less than 20 percent completion level that we met it, it has now
reached 80 percent completion.
Our urban renewal initiative is also key as regards the beautification of Ekiti
cities. The State’s capital is our first point of attention. Rural electrification
and water supply and community development have also received a lot of
attention moving us nearer the establishment of optimum communities in
all our local governments. The efforts in all these areas have eased the
burden of life and living for millions of the residents of the state.
AGRICULTURE
Our ambition is to make Agriculture – or Agricbusiness the highest
generator of revenue for the State, revive cocoa plantations and make
Ekiti, and by that token, Nigeria, the world leader again in cocoa
production. To us modern agriculture should be a hub of economic
activities capable of boosting internally-generated revenue and serve as the

7. creator of massive employment. We have thus put in place policies and
programmes to change the agricultural sector in the State. For instance,
the Youth-Commercial Agricultural Development Programme (YCAD),
launched in April 2012, is to generate 20, 000 jobs for the youths. Already,
150 new youth commercial farmers have benefitted from 1,500 related
jobs from this programme. In addition to cocoa, we are also focusing on
developing the full value-chain of Cassava, Rice and Oil palm. There are
several other initiatives that we have embarked upon in the area of
agricultural transformation which will cumulatively revolutionise not only
the agricultural sector but also the overall economy of the state,
particularly the attraction of Commercial Agricultural players in large scale
farming and processing.
EDUCATION AND HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT
Today, free education for primary and secondary schools declared on 16th
October, 2010 has been firmly rooted. The on-going school renovation
project in which more than half of all the public secondary schools are
being given a face-lift is considered by many as unprecedented. Besides,
we have an irreversible commitment to ensuring that every student in our
secondary schools has a computer of his or her desk, while also creating
special initiatives for physically-challenged students and a sports academy
for gifted youths. By the end of this year, we would have distributed
33,000 laptops to students and 18,000 to teachers, as well as sporting

8. equipment worth millions of naira to Secondary Schools in the State. We
are equally making similar significant strides in all our tertiary institutions
with core concentration on capacity building and infrastructural
development.
HEALTH CARE SERVICE DELIVERY
This government has continued to provide free medical services for
children, pregnant women, senior citizens and the physically-challenged in
Ekiti State since the last two years. We have also established health
centres in all localities, while increasing the immunisation coverage in the
state, strengthening the State Ambulance Service, expanding medical
assistance to needy patients across the state, and bolstering the State’s
capacity for effective healthcare delivery.
Our success in health care services is positively recognised in the latest
statistical indices which the Federal Ministry of Health released recently.
Ekiti State now has the highest life expectancy in the country and one of
the lowest maternal mortality and child mortality index whilst also attaining
the lowest HIV prevalence in the country.
INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT
Our government has successfully created technology and industrial parks
for small- and medium-scale enterprises, established micro-credit facilities
and developed agro-allied and solid mineral sectors of the local economy.

9. We have also established the Fountain Holdings Limited which manages
the investment portfolio of the State and represents the Government in
Public-Private Partnerships. The Ekiti State Enterprise Development Agency
charged with encouraging, promoting and coordinating investment
activities in the State has continued to successfully stimulate economic
growth in the State. I am happy to inform you all that today, two moribund
industrial infrastructures - Ire Bricks Factory (dead in the last 21 years) and
Odua Enterprise Centre (formerly Odu’a Textiles – equally comatose in the
last 23 years) have been resuscitated. The new initiative is expanding the
State’s resources, provide numerous job opportunities, encourage new
skills acquisition by workers and ultimately enlarge the middle class in the
State.
TOURISM
I encourage you all to visit the hub of the state tourism corridor in Ikogosi
to behold the massive investment of this administration in tourism. The
intention of government is for the State to attract the tens of millions of
people engaged in rural tourism annually around the world and make it the
most attractive destination for relaxation and holidays not only in Nigeria
but also in West Africa. It is a known fact that we are blessed with some of
the most picturesque natural landscape, including beautiful mountains, and
alluring valleys. At the moment, the Ikogosi cold and warm spring tourist
resort is undergoing an unprecedented turn-around, including the

10. redesigning of the whole landscape with the construction of villa chalets
and an amphitheatre. The first phase of this new-look Ikogosi tourist
centre which has now been commissioned will attract both national and
international tourists.
GENDER EQUALITY AND WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
The government deliberately embraced Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) of promoting gender equality and women empowerment.
Consequently our administration is the first in Nigeria to sign into law the
Gender-Based Violence (Prohibition) Bill. We are also the first state to
domesticate the National Gender Policy. Various women focused initiatives
have played crucial roles in promoting gender equality and women’s
empowerment. We are closely monitoring the progress of our
developmental efforts to ensure that they all help in closing the gender gap
and empower women by providing access to social, economic and political
opportunities.
THE INTER-CONNECTIONS OF THE AGENDA
Essentially, we have endeavoured to link governance with infrastructural
development, and establish a connection between education and human
capital development and gender equality and women empowerment and
tie all these with the need for a healthy population. The modernisation of
agriculture has also been connected to the massive push for industrial

11. development. Related to all these is the creation of tourist attractions, not
only to provide an economic niche for the state, but also as places of
relaxation for a healthier and more enlightened citizenry that has greater
opportunities for better income and better living.
May I reiterate my declaration at inauguration on 16th October 2010, “We
must be honest and admit that attaining greater heights in Ekiti State will
require more than just government. There is no magic wand about it. It
will require a renewed sense of responsibility from each of us. Yes,
government must lead, but each of us must do our part in rebuilding this
beloved state of ours.” But my State of the State will also not just
concentrate on what we have done, it will equally dwell on the continuing
challenges that we face. The greatest of this remains our commitment to
the core values of integrity and honour in the Land of Honour. We will not
get tired of drumming this up at every opportunity until we restore the
forces of character as the beauty of our land (iwa lewa). Some of our
material challenges will not be easily overcome, but we have what it takes
to have the ultimate victory in all fronts.
As we provide leadership, I seek the cooperation of all and sundry to join
in the task of rebuilding the State. We are lighting the candle for our
people to find the pathway. There are many tasks ahead and we still have
a long way to go in Ekiti State. However, I am convinced that we have laid

12. the foundation for the creation of an enduring democratic, prosperous and
greater Ekiti State where poverty will become history.
I, today, reaffirm, along with members of my administration to stand for
justice and equity; to redouble efforts at building a State that would be a
pride to all. My sacred social contract with the people of Ekiti State will
continue to be renewed to meet the expectations of the common man.
I congratulate all Ekiti Ketes on the milestones achieved so far and wish
you all better years ahead.
Ekiti a gbe a o.
Thank you and God bless.