“Ekiti needed a befitting Government House” – Fayemi explains why he ‘bought two beds for N50m’
Category: Nigerian National News
Source: Daily Posts
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Immediate
past governor of Ekiti State, Kayode John Fayemi has explained why he
built the multi-mullion naira controversial Government House in the
state.
The governor has been under attack lately for lavishing the state funds on the government lodge.
His predecessor, Ayo Fayose had claimed that the governor bought two beds for N50 million naira.
However, embattled Fayemi in a publication that showcased his achievements in Ekiti, explained why he embarked on the project.
He
declared that ‘’The administration of Governor Kayode Fayemi in Ekiti
State places much premium on infrastructure which it believes is a
catalyst for modernizing the state.
“Infrastructural development
is the second policy thrust of the 8-point agenda of the Fayemi
administration otherwise known as the ‘Roadmap to Ekiti Recovery'”.
The
publication reads thus: ‘’Desirous of being remembered for good by
citizens of the State, the Fayemi administration conceived what it
called ‘Legacy Projects’, bequeathed to the generations yet unborn.
‘’In conceiving the projects, the administration took cognizance of
the need to execute projects that accord with the needs of the
government and people of Ekiti and critically also, positively project
the Land of Honour in the comity of states in Nigeria.
‘’Not ready
to be encumbered by the meagre allocations from the Federation Account,
as the state is 35th out of 36th on the nation’s revenue ladder, the
administration secured a N25 billion bond from the Capital Market.
‘’Upon
accessing the first tranche of N20 billion, the administration
immediately embarked on the mission to change the face of the state with
the Legacy Projects which the new Government House is one of them.”
According
to Fayemi, ‘’Ekiti State has lived with the challenge of having a
befitting Government House since the state was created on October 1,
1996. The first Military Administrator, as he was designated, Col. Inua
Bawa (rtd), was holed-up in a borrowed apartment before building an
official residence with bricks sourced from Ire-Ekiti Burnt Bricks
Factory.
‘’Successive administrations since then made do with some buildings
in the Government House complex, including the present abode of the
state’s number one citizen known as the Osuntokun Lodge. The fact that
the Lodge lacked many facilities befitting of the residence of a
governor and therefore “very inferior” to other Government Houses in the
country, made the need for a new Government House in Ekiti very
imperative.
‘’This inadequacy came even more to the fore at the
death of the former Deputy Governor, Mrs. Funmilayo Olayinka, with
guests pouring in from all over the country to commiserate with the
government and people of the state on the monumental loss. To add to the
state’s sorrow, the governor could not receive two sets of guests at
the same time.
‘’But that rather embarrassing experience has
become history with the construction of the new Government House
situated on the Ayoba Hills in Ado-Ekiti, the new edifice, like the
biblical ‘House on a Hill’ can be seen from all parts of the city.
‘’While
dismissing the claims of the opposition that the project is
self-serving, Fayemi argued that the new Government House belongs to the
people of Ekiti and not his personal property.
‘’He added that it
would continue to serve as the official residence of all coming
governors, long after he would have left office. The new Government
House, will go down as an important statement of the New Ekiti that the
Fayemi administration has always thought possible: It is an Ekiti State
that plays second fiddle to none”.
Source: Daily Posts
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