All over the world, it has been a well established aphorism that government is a continuum. This implies that every succeeding government must be prepared to continue with the programmes and policies of the preceding administration to guard against wastage under a developing economy like ours, stabilizes the polity and economy and fast track development.
But considering the acrimonious type of politics being played in Nigeria, such practice seems alien to our political culture. It seems impracticable as each succeeding administration always establish the doctrine of independence, particularly when a different party took over the reign of leadership. This largely accounted for why Nigeria is retrogressive due to massive corruption and wastages in the system necessitated by abandoned projects, policy summersault and contagious instability and violence
Taking cognizance of the damage the haphazardness in our political and administrative culture have caused, it is imperative for continuity to form the centre stage in the countdown to the governorship election slated for 2018 in Ekiti State. However, Governor Ayodele Fayose has hinged his political campaign on the fact that the time to reenact the Lagos example is now.
One cannot gainsaying the fact that incessant policy alteration has done a lot of havoc on the economy of the state since 1999. From the time of Niyi Adebayo, to Segun Oni, Kayode Fayemi and the present government, each had come with independent policies which caused disjointed policy formulation and stagnation of the economy it is on this premise that I agree with Governor Fayose on the slogan of continuity because the time for the state to be set on the faster pace of development, is now.
Let me appreciate the fact that each preceding government that had ruled the state had actually contributed its own quota in terms of physical structures and the growth of human and material potentials the state was endowed with. Speaking frankly, Governor Fayose has really upped the game since his second coming in 2014 and no efforts should be spared to either keep the tempo of development presently being witnessed or accelerate it further. With the ongoing construction of multi-billion naira flyover in Ado Ekiti the Ultra Modern Oja Oba market, the magnificent Funmi Olayinka glass house, dualisation projects in Ikole, Emure, Ikere, Ilawe, Ijero, Omuo Ekiti and other towns, Ekiti is gradually joining the league of infrastructurally stable states in the country.
The allusion to Lagos by Governor Fayose as a state that is being built into a megacity was more of a fact than a political statement. since 1999, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu had succeeded in restoring the culture of stability and the state, unarguably is ahead of others in all spheres. In the 18 years of unbroken democracy in the state, the governors that had emerged after Tinubu, Mr. Babatunde Fashola and Akinwumi Ambode were prosecuting the same blueprint and the state has been better for it.
Though, one cannot conclude that the second coming of Governor Fayose was a product of continuity, but the governor has justified the opportunity by building on experience and solid foundation he laid during his first term to make a remarkable difference. but for experience, the state would have been grounded by now due to this hard-biting economic recession ravaging the country. Now that the governor is battling the recession and pushing the economy out of the doldrums, it is expedient for the electorate to elect someone who has unquenchable passion and belief in the ongoing restructuring and reformation processes to avert future calamity and total collapse of the state.
I have heard some people branding Fayose’s clamour for continuity as a deceptive advocacy meant to establish political empire in Ekiti. This does not come as a surprise because opposition said similar thing against senator Tinubu in 2007, when he begged the Lagosians to project into the future and align with the fact that the benefits in such will transcend beyond his personal gain. Today, Lagos residents are basking in euphoria of development that has become a corporate gain.
During the June 21, 2017 victory rally held in Ado Ekiti to commemorate Governor Fayose’s electoral triumph over Dr. Kayode Fayemi, told the mammoth crowd that he should be held responsible if the continuity fails to deliver the expected democratic dividends owing to the failure of whoever succeeds him among his loyalists. This statement portrayed truthfulness and commitment to ensure that whoever succeeds him does the right thing to sustain the present development in terms of programme and policy formulations.
The choices before Ekiti residents after 2018 are two. One, allow the present economic gains to continue by embracing continuity and vote massively for whoever Fayose Presents or reverse the trend by doing otherwise, for I know that the opposition will come up with different ideology that will negate the current people oriented policies that had attracted wide applause from the populace
The viewpoint is written by a class teacher at Ikere High School Dalimore Aluko