At the graduation ceremony of one of his children at a private university, Covenant University at Ota, Ogun state last week, the governor of Ekiti State attacked Nigerian leaders for educating their children abroad and taking their family members abroad for medical treatment. The attack has coincided with the celebration of the graduation of a child of the senate president, Dr. Bukola Saraki, in a university in the United Kingdom.
Governor Ayo Fayose deserves commendation for his latest attack on leaders who educate their children abroad and who rush overseas for medical attention.
However, his point on populism would have been well taken if he had educated his own children at public primary schools, public secondary schools and public universities. But because public schools have collapsed due to corruption by Mr. Fayose and his colleagues in the APC and PDP his own children attended nursery primary schools, Olasore a International School, Iloko, Osun state and Covenant University, Ota, Ogun state. But can the children of the workers in the public service in Ekiti state who have not been paid salaries for 8 months or pensioners who are owed pension for over a year afford to educate their children in private schools in Nigeria like Governor Fayose? Why has the governor not educated his children in any of the wonderful secondary schools in Ekiti state? Since he is proud of the progress recorded in the area of education in Ekiti state why did the governor not educate his children at the Ekiti State University where he is the chancellor?
It is good to hear that Governor Fayose is not one of the governors who travel abroad for medical treatment. Really? Does that apply to his deputy who just returned from his overseas holiday trip? Does that mean that the Ayo Fayose regime has fixed any of the public hospitals in Ekiti state which records multiple deaths on a daily basis? A former deputy governor of Ekiti State recently died of cancer. Has Ekiti state government built a medical centre where cancer patients can be attended to?
Mr. Lere Olayinka, the press secretary of Governor Ayo Fayose, once accused his boss of killing Dr. Ayo Daramola and Mr. Tunde Omojola. In a petition submitted by him to the police headquarters at Abuja sometime in 2014, Mr. Olayinka called on the then Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase to prosecute Mr. Fayose for the brutal killings of the duo. Because they were killed as alleged by Mr. Olayinka both Dr. Daramola and Mr. Tunde Omojola are not alive today to witness the graduation ceremony of their children. Or is Mr. Olayinka not aware of the ongoing moves by Governor Fayose to ensure the dismissal of all the cases linking him and his cohorts with murder of innocent people in Ekiti state which are pending at the high court sitting at Ado Ekiti? Is Mr. Olayinka unaware of the fact that the high court judge who is trying the murder cases was recently flown abroad by Governor Fayode for medical treatment in South Africa?
If Governor Ayo Fayose wants to be taken seriously on his latest populism let him ban all public officers in Ekiti state from educating their children abroad and in private schools in Nigeria. Let Governor Fayose also ban all public officers in Ekiti state and their family members from going abroad for medical treatment. If Governor Ayo Fayose can adopt such measures the government will be forced to fix the dilapidated schools and the decaying hospitals in Ekiti state. At least, that will go a long way to reduce the huge public funds being criminally diverted in the poor state.
Tola Adebayo,
Ado Ekiti.
