The Ekiti State Chapter of Afenifere, a pan-Yoruba social, political and cultural organization, has rebuked the Ekiti state governor, Ayo Fayose of making the state a butt of jokes in the nation.
The group further called on the people of the state to embark on fervent prayers for God to intervene and give them relief in the ongoing fuel crisis that has paralyzed economic activities in the State.
The group also advised Fayose to stay at home and find solution to the problems afflicting the Fountain of Knowledge rather than taking delight in launching verbal attacks on the person and office of President Muhammadu Buhari “as an attention seeking gimmick.”
The local Afenifere in a press statement on Wednesday signed by its Chairman, Elder Yemi Alade and Publicity Secretary, Chief Biodun Akin-Fasae, regretted that “it is shameful that Ekiti has become a butt of uncanny jokes and fast sliding to be a pariah among other states in Nigeria despite its God-given endowments.”
In the statement titled: “God, Heal Our Land”, Afenifere in Ekiti said the scarcity of fuel unleashed on the citizenry by the governor’s face-off with petrol marketers could have been resolved by dialogue and not resort to strong arm tactics which culminated in destruction of some filling stations by suspected thugs.
It said: “Currently the economic activities of the state has run ‘berserk’ due to executive misapplication of strategic management of human and business relationship. Now, no one is sure of what happens next because of the misunderstanding between government and fuel marketers which has now degenerated into chaos.
“And this has been going on for two full weeks now and unfortunately, government is feeling comfortable and justifying its strategy by pulling down several of the fuel stations for flimsy excuse which not a few have interpreted as mere political vendetta and mere braggadocio on the part of the government.
“Our suggestion is that impunity to destroy economic livelihood of people should stop because we believe that no fuel marketer approved for himself the construction of any filling station. Government did. And if government woulds now change its mind, then a process of discussion and negotiation should be put in place rather than just breaking of the extant laws.
“This is what is called executive recklessness and this is very unacceptable. We wonder the whereabouts of Governor Ayo Fayose during the celebration of Democracy Day, a national activity. He was conspicuously absent from Ekiti for days only to resurface to abuse President Muhammadu Buhari requesting him to resign because of ill-health.
“At the same time he degraded his office by his statement on the veracity of the Chibok girls (release) saying it was a ploy to rattle the former president. All these outbursts by our governor belittles our collective humanity as a state.”
The group said further: “Our governor is now a parrot who must talk at all times in and out of season; we believe that Mr Governor should devote more time to think on how to move Ekiti forward instead of focusing and dissipating his energy on irrelevant issues.
“One would wonder what he meant when he declared Ekiti a ‘Biafra’ extension when no governor in the Southeast has so declared. Our advice is that Mr. Governor should concentrate more time on how he would complete his ‘one way flyover bridge’ which is fast becoming an albatross to the extent of his announcement that it is a federal government project.
“Afenifere also wish to sympathize with Ekiti workers that none of who has received any salary this year, some since October 2016. And yet the governor feels unconcerned so far he can dole out a thousand Naira and a cup of rice to the famished workers in the name of his stomach infrastructure, which many have described as a fraud.”