Group berates attacks on Fayemi

..Says hate driven propaganda wont stop historic ties between Fayemi and Tinubu

By Samuel Ogunsona

The Ekiti Progressives Coalition, (EPC) has condemned malicious plots by some faceless people aiming to sustain smear campaign against Ekiti State former Governor,Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

Some faceless groups recently launched attacks on Fayemi backed with pictures what they described as “uncompleted projects” said to include some projects that have nothing to do with Dr Fayemi’s eight-year tenure in Ekiti State.

The coalition urged journalists to avoid running reports and opinions by people whose true identities could not be ascertained adding that their mission is to spread tissues of lies in order to demystify the APC leadership at the National level and also in Ekiti State.

In a statement signed by officials of the group, President, Engr. Bimbo Ajayi,
Secretary,Chief Sola Ajisegiri made available to Irohinoodua the coalition said some paid agents are also out to create bitterness between the incoming Presidency and the world acclaimed rights activist, Fayemi who served Ekiti for eight years leaving milestones in the field of economy, infrastructure, education, health and decentralisation of power at the grassroots.

The group described Fayemi as a man of impeccable character whose legacies remain evergreen in Ekiti State

The group said there are write-ups from faceless individuals with sinister motives which aimed at attacking and maligning the personality of the immediate past Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi.

“Ordinarily, these attacks coming from the camps of frustrated individuals and accredited serial failures wouldn’t have merited our reaction but for the need to put the records straight and to prevent the unsuspecting members of the public to believe their falsehood. This response is therefore needed because lies repeated many times may assume the toga of credibility” the group noted.

The group said Dr. Kayode Fayemi had served Ekiti State mysteriously at various times and stages both at the State and the National levels and in each of these stages, he had left unparalleled records of meritorious service backed by incontrovertible evidence on ground not only for posterity but for naysayers to see, verify and confirm.

“It is with this credible background that we view the accusations of these individuals with little and infantile minds who have given themselves the ignoble assignment of circulating pictures of a small Rural Health Centre built in a remote area of Efon Local Government overgrown with weeds with the inscription “Governor John Kayode Fayemi Health Centre.”

It noted that with the circulation of the pictures of the abandoned building trending on various social media platforms, the Coalition constituted a Committee to make a finding on the local health facility and report back on its status with a view to establish the truth and report back to the Coalition.

“Our investigation revealed that the rural health facility in question was built by the former caretaker Chairman of Efon Local Government, Dr. Adio Folayan (now Prof. Adio Folayan) and named after the then Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, who was neither invited nor physically present to commission it.”

It noted that the facility was built as a Rural Health Centre and was intended to serve the community. The Centre was abandoned due to the low financial capability of the Local to make a proper use of the place.

“Our finding also showed that this led to the people in the community attending to their health needs in Efon Alaaye township which has better health facilities available.

“Dr. Kayode Fayemi was never a part of the concept, execution or the actuality of this project in any form as it was a project of the local government and the facts are there for any patriotic Ekiti citizen to verify.”

The group said it is aware that what attracted the incorrigible haters and mischief makers was seeing a Health Centre abandoned in the bush bearing the honourable name of their perceived enemy, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, which they see as a tool to blackmail and denigrate the former Governor whom they see as a stumbling block to the political interest of their sponsors.

“It is a well-known fact and very clear as a summer sky that Dr. Kayode Fayemi left behind in Ekiti an enviable name boldly inscribed on his legacy projects which cut across two stellar and meritorious tenures of service to the people of the state and no attacks by minions can wish these away from where they are located and from the minds of the Ekiti Kete.”

It recalled that Chief among Dr. Kayode Fayemi’s legacy projects are renovation of all health institutions in the State, the renovation of public primary and secondary schools and construction of new Model Schools across the state.

“The immediate past Governor is also credited with the resuscitation of the Water Dams and updating of the water equipments thereby serving a part of the state with pipe-borne water; resuscitation of the Ire Burnt Brick Factory, the Gossy Water and tarring the access roads to these industries.

“Dr. Kayode Fayemi also bequeathed the legacy of the construction and building of the Agro Cargo Airport in the Knowledge Zone which has no doubt attracted the establishment of a Nigerian Air Force base at the Airport, among other benefits the huge project is attracting to the State.”

The EPC said the listed achievements are some of the testaments of the brilliant performance of Dr. Kayode Fayemi’s two-term rule in Ekiti State and the achievements are not only too many to count as a lot are intangibles which blurry-eyed haters may never see.

It said the Fayemi administration was also globally acknowledged for putting in place various laws to protect women, children, the physically-challenged and the less-privileged and such laws have helped curbed incidences of rape, child and spousal abuse and some of them went down in history as the firsts by any state government in Nigeria.

“It is therefore unreasonable of any individual, group or body to continue casting aspersions and undue allegations against the person of Dr Kayode Fayemi having served with dignity and recording such aforementioned achievements in Ekiti State.

“We are equally not unaware that these haters are upping their games of blackmail and pull-him-down syndrome in view of the appointments to be made by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government to be headed by the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Concocting and spreading falsehood against Dr. Kayode Fayemi will never stop his relevance under the Tinubu Presidency because the President-elect knows his worth.”

The EPC said to the chagrin of his traducers, Dr. Kayode Fayemi is first among equals, he was a tested and trusted hand in the last Federal Cabinet in which he had the opportunity to serve.

He made a remarkable showing as Minister of Mines and Steel Development where he didn’t only reposition the Ministry but turned it to a cash cow far better than he met it and in fact next to Agriculture.

Equally worth mentioning is his contribution towards the incoming government of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu far more than any individual in Ekiti State. Haters are free to show us anyone better than him here.
His stepping down for Asiwaju swung the pendulum to the latter’s victory at the APC presidential primary.

While we will not stop critics from doing what they know best, we reserve the right to caution them by advising them to tread softly and allow the President-elect do his due diligence in choosing his Cabinet based on his knowledge, skills and experience of the individuals that are available to him in our state.

However, we shall not fold our arms and allow people of questionable characters who have turned themselves to paid agents of some individuals to rubbish our brother, friend and boss all in the name of unbridled and inordinate political ambitions.