By Congressman Bimbo Daramola
#TEN #YEARS #LATER…#FROM #FOOTPATH #TO #TARRED #ROAD…
There are memories that will never leave you.
So much so that every time you come close to anything or anyone that was a part of that situation, memories are triggered.
It could be soothing or disturbing, but one thing is sure, one is bound to remember with nostalgia.
In 2014, I was the Director General of Kayode Fayemi Re-election Campaign, we were fighting against a high and huge tidal waves of disapproval of Ekiti people to have him keep his job as Governor and return to Oke Bareke.
We had a formidable opposition in an incredibly popular candidate of the PDP, Governor Ayodele Peter Fayose, a man displaced in 2006 but pursuing a come back bid after Eight years, not many gave him a chance but he was prescient. He kept on saying that he would come back and he did.
Yes a popular candidate, but not many people doubted his capacity to stage a successful come back, for a number of reasons which included the reality that his seeming impregnable political fortress that he built and left had been infiltrated by time and crass political opportunism of many. Talking about a space of eight years.
On our own part, while I believe personally that Governor Fayemi in his first term did reasonably well, he was well intentioned though misconceived by many, I still will say the best of Kayode Fayemi years in Ekiti were in his first term.
He worked hard, often stayed late into the wee hours in the office unlike the ever on the move Governor in his second term, most times out of the state, consumed and obsessed by power as Chairman Nigeria Governors Forum and high dreams of succeeding President Mohammadu Buhari.
He was more disposed to suggestions in the first term than his Second, modest nature and the other good sides that I think typified his attitude in the first term and all grossly discarded in the second and replaced by the delusion of invincibility associated with demi gods in his second term.
So in the run up to the second term Ekiti people’s mind had been poisoned by a number of misconstrued initiatives of the Kayode Fayemi government, one of which was the teacher assessment program which was not aimed at sacking teachers but to know their capacities and the needed support for them to enable the teachers to deliver more .
Anyway, the resentment of the people was thick and huge! It was palpable.
With a spectacle like that it became obvious that we needed to do more than normal to put up a good fight to get our people to trust us with their votes again, coming from three years of blood spilling resilience of party faithful from 2007 to 2010 when the mandate of the Governor was restored by the Salami led appeal court judgement.
As the Director General of the campaign in 2014, the campaign days were draining, tough, extremely demanding, we got drenched in our hardwork, we worked our fingers to bones, gave it our all and all that could be necessary to get our people back on our side, so we took the campaign to nooks and crannies of Ekiti, no hinterland was too far, we went after the people. No one person or group was too far away, we went after them most humbly driven by me.
This was how I came to know the new and unfolding Ado Ekiti, the State capital like the back of my palm!
Wherever a footpath was with fresh footprints, I knew that it would lead us to a settlement where we could find people, I led a huge number of committed party people to visit everywhere with the message for them to restore their trust in our candidate and party. That was the most pragmatic thing to do, we could not take chances as the Election Day closed in on us.
From Sun up to Sun down, we were beating tracks, breaking out in sweat beads, pounding the streets everywhere across Ado Ekiti and across the state.
One afternoon, I led our team to storm Ikere, by the time we got to Announciation Secondary school, the initially withdrawn leaders of the party saw the energy and were forced to join us, it was a huge movement.
The then Commissioner of Police sent his personnel to me to divert the crowd on the city storm because Governor Fayose wanted to pass through, I declined and sent words back that if he dared to drive through us it would be war!
He sent his men again, again I said he should not try it, I adviced that when we detour off the main road, he could then lead Governor Fayose to pass but not under my watch will he drive through us. That was what eventually happened.
{The full story for another day or in my memoirs }
Anway earlier today, I had an event slated for HASANNAT EVENT Centre, old Iyin Road, organised by ICAN ,Ekiti chapter, it was the investiture of the new State Chairman and the Exco, that also doubled as Award Ceremony for a number of people so deemed fit by the body.
Well, I am surprised that I was so considered to be one of them and to even chair the occasion. Thank you ICAN, Ekiti State chapter for the honour, i appreciate you. I am not taking it for granted.
So I stepped out a bit late in the morning, and was trying to figure out the fastest route to the venue.
My boys identified the #OBISESAN – #OKE #ALA – #BASIRI road. I didn’t know where that was or indeed that there is a road so called in Ado Ekiti.
I was not sure because up until today, I had no inkling that a road by that name exists and could not even recall a road so named growing up in Ado Ekiti.
We got on the road, it was well tarred , and I began to ask questions, when was it done? who did it? And obviously not an existing road rather a freshly constructed one, like a number of inner streets road done by Governor #Biodun #Oyebanji in his about to turn two years administration.
I was pleasantly surprised that that part of town had benefited from the opening up efforts of the capital by the Oyebanji administration.
Well I went for my event and on my way back, I just remembered that this road was a little more than a footpath when I last walked on it during the Kayode Fayemi re-election campaign in 2014.
I could not help stepping out of my car to take a second look.
I am delighted to see this effort of Governor Biodun Oyebanji and his administration to open up hinterland road network not only within the State Capital but in some other parts of the state.
There is no doubt that this will bring more comfort and convenience to Ekiti people, in many ways, from reducing travel time to ease of movement through alternatives in accessible road network.
I am told these roads have also been touched or newly constructed or been worked on within the capital, they include Internal Roads within Ado-Ekiti:
1. Oke-Bola-Access Bank Road [COMPLETED]
2. NTA-GRA 3rd Extension Road{ on going}
3. Agric Olope-Odo Ado Road[ COMPLETED]
4. HMB road [COMPLETED]
5. Phase II (dual carriage way between GRA III Extension and Pavillion NTA Road){ on going}
6. Obisesan to Basiri Road- COMPLETED
7. De Head to Faglo Junction Road, Basiri[COMPLETED]
8. Atlas-Ajebamidele-Shepherd- Omisanjana Road.[COMPLETED]
I have no doubts that these are well conceived, thought out and well intentioned, in addition to the comfort and convenience, I am sure the people who reside around these stretch of roads will be happy that a government remembered them and opened up access for them to go in and come out.
Beyond these business owners around here will surely derive a lot of benefits and more importantly, the landed properties here would have appreciated in face value by not less than 35-40 percent.
I want to salute and commend Governor Biodun Oyebanji for this uncommon determination to impact the lives of regular Ekiti people regardless of their partisan divide, or those non party card carrying Ekiti people who only want a better life for themselves, those Ekiti people who may never come near Oke Bareke but who cannot deny the fact that someone who is sensitive enough has been put in that office to serve them. I commend you Mr Gomina.
May I use this medium and opportunity to also bring to the attention of the Governor the case of abandoned AFAO – IRE EKITI ROAD.
This is a road that takes a lot of pressure off ILUPEJU- IFAKI -ADO EKITI road.
This road has been abandoned for almost five years now and the attendant pains are indescribable, there is no reason why Ire Ekiti people and those coming from Ikole would have to go to Ilupeju to connect to Ado Ekiti. No Sir. I think Dr Fayemi did it partly in his first term but has been abandoned since till date.
Anyone can despise what is told, said or related, it could be fable or tales by moonlight if it is still at the realm of “dem say dem say” or “Wonni Wonpe” but when it stares at you in the face “korokoro”, it will take a twisted mind to deny what you see and experience, as I have on this day on the newly constructed OBISESAN road.
This is a perfect example of what my Ekiti people refer to as “ #so #igbe #di #Igboro”
Weldone Mr. Governor. Please Stay on course.
#factSPEAKS.
27th September, 2024