By Yinka Oyekunle
The newly sworn in Governor of Ekiti, Ayodele Fayose, has described his swearing in as an act of God. The fiery Governor claimed that if it were in Bible days, his name would have entered the Bible as the man who got a second chance. On Sunday, October 19,2014 during his thanksgiving service at the Deeper Life Camp,Ajebamidele, Ado-Ekiti, he said,
“If we are in the Bible day, my name would have entered that bible as the man who got the second chance. I spent 45 days in Ikoyi prison. My wife was detained for 15 days. I was in the house for several days without anyone to talk to. I am just telling you what God is capable of doing in the face of hopelessness. I give all glory to God Almighty. This time around, I will not allow this position to get into my head. I will not allow sycophants to have their ways. If you want to report anyone to me, please bring the person you are reporting along. I want to say here that I will do good to all manners of men”
Governor Ayò Fayose took the oath of allegiance and oath of office as the governor of Ekiti State on Thursday,october 16,2014 thereby returning to the seat he had vacated unceremoniously eight years ago.
The Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Justice Ayodeji Daramola, who administered the oath on Governor Fayose, had, minutes earlier, performed the ceremony for the deputy governor of the state, Dr Kolapo Olubunmi Olusola-Eleka.
The 60,000 Oluyemi Kayode Stadium where the ceremony took place was filled by thousands of people from all walks of life just as the ceremony was witnessed by many dignitaries from within and outside the country.
Fayose had caused a stir when he arrived at about 12:30pm with his wife, Feyisetan, in a 1968 Mercedes 200 model with registration number W110, with the mammoth crowd at the stadium surging to catch a glimpse of the vintage car.
People had trooped to the stadium from the 16 local government areas of the state in their thousands at about 9:00a.m. and were identifiable in their various groups’ uniforms and danced round the stadium in revelry.
After the oaths, Fayose in his speech thanked the people of the state for their support and called for their cooperation as he said he was setting off on the “journey to restoration.”
He said he would only work on the basis of 16 local government areas in the state, saying although the matter of the creation of 19 local government areas in the state after the governorship election was in court, he would stick to the 16 councils recognised by the constitution.
He described the creation of 19 LCDAs in the state as “sudden and shoddy balkanisation of the existing 16 local government areas by the immediate past administration under the guise of creating local council development areas.”
Fayose said: “our party considers the hurried creation of 19 LCDAs, after the incumbent lost the June 21 election, as a gratuitous after-thought of a bad loser.”
He announced that he would focus on six key areas namely: empowerment of the people, development of agriculture, infrastructural development, education, science and technology, health and security, and also announced that there would be free education from primary to secondary school and free health programme for pregnant women and children from ages one to five.
On the recent appointment of eight permanent secretaries by the former governor, Fayose said his administration would take “appropriate steps towards the restoration of the core values of professionalism, honesty, integrity, accountability and probity” and announced the reversal of the appointment of the permanent secretaries.
He said: “my government shall review all public service personnel issues including appointment, promotion and discipline which were hurriedly effected after the governorship election. The head of service is hereby directed to return all officers to their substantive positions as at June21, 2014.”
He decried what he described as the “last minute attempt by the opposition party to truncate the mandate which you freely entrusted to me onJune 21,” saying “this has clearly confirmed the true character and direction of interest of these political desperados whose machinations is to demonise and portray me as a violent person.”
Speaking on the occasion, the national chairman of PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mua’zu, said Fayose “needs your support, he needs year prayers, he needs your support so as to be able to deliver in the office.”
He charged the new governor to work with the people and carry them along in the governance of the state.
Among the numerous dignitaries at the ceremony were PDP National Secretary, Professor Olusola Oladipo; Governors Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom); Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo); Theodore Orji (Abia); Liyel Imoke (Cross River); Ramalan Yero (Kaduna); Isa Yuguda (Bauchi); Sule Lamido (Jigawa); Ibrahim Shema (Katsina); Usman Dakingari (Kebbi) and Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta).
Others are former Governors Rashidi Ladoja (Oyo); Peter Obi (Anambra); Alao Akala (Oyo); PDP governorship aspirants in Oyo, Osun and Ondo, Iyiola Omisore and Olusola Oke, respectively, and royal fathers in the state led by their chairman and the Onitaji of Itaji, Oba Adamo Babalola.