Let me begin this contribution with brief history of the United States and Ado Ekiti. I will need to do so so as to have a draw down to my point.
United States is a country in North America, began with the settlement of Indigenous people before 15,000 BC. Between 1790 and 2015, America grew from 4 million people to 321 million with economic growth making them the world economic power house.
While the economic and population expansion was driven by a quest for inexpensive land for yeoman farmers and slave owners. Became the leading industrial power at the turn of the 20th century due to an outburst of entrepreneurship in the Northeast and Midwest and the arrival of millions of immigrant workers and farmers from Europe.
Now coming to Ado Ekiti, the State capital of Ekiti State. History has it that at the height of power in the 18th and 19th centuries, about 200 years ago, Ado kingdom consisted of 150 (ewadojo) communities.
The founder of Ado kingdom was a prince of Ile-ife named Awamaro (the restless one) and Ewi (the speaker). He is said to have left Ile-ife with his elder brother Oranmiyan and gone to Ita Orogun and Benin with him after staying briefly with Oloba in Oba-Ile, Akure.
The draw down here is that, both in the case of America and Ado Ekiti, people came from far and near to develop a place, no nation or State can primarily be developed to a world standard by the indigenous but by mostly non indigenes. Visitors are most integral part of development of any Nation or State. Visitors bring entrepreneurship alive. America would have likely remained a third world country without the contributions of West Indies and Jews, Europe was primarily developed by the Basque people of northern Spain and southern France, the Sami people of northern Scandinavia, the Nenets, Samoyedic and Komi peoples of northern Russia, and the Circassians of southern Russia and the North Caucasus.
Without the economic contributions of Ijebus, Igbos etc to Lagos, Lagos would have remained a shadow of herself. Abujaland is primarily the land of the Ggbagis and Gwaris but development of Abuja the FCT is squarely due to the visitors all of the nation.
With the creation of Ekiti State on October 1st 1996, successive administrations has failed to look beyond immediate Ado Ekiti as the State capital to implement an holistic rural urban development that will open up the State to visitors which will translate the capital and the State to an enviable one. Visitors which will come with their entrepreneurship to translate the economic fortune of the State capital and the State entirely. The entire State capital is choked up, there has never a sincere efforts for provision for the indigenous land owner to be relocated or encouraged to an alternative location so as to give room of expected modern expansion within the State capital development. The last effort of creating a befitting or new settlement was done administration of Otunba Niyi Adebayo toward Adebayo area.
However, inorder to open and free up the State capital, the present administration have the opportunity and should look up to adjourning towns and villages especially between Afe Babalola and Ijan or other places not too far from the State capital for government land or acquisition of about 50 hectares of land due to limited land available for such new town development in Ado.
World over, the ideal thing is to allow the private sector to drive housing development but a people and result orinted government is expected to make available the infrastructures like the land, the masterplan, roads, electricity, water, etc. available while primarily and secondary mortgage investors take up the initiative.
The beauty of this using Public Private Sector Initiative is that, Ekiti State government will make his money from this arrangement, job will be provided, entrepreneurs will spring up to bolster the economy of the State, a new town with all the modern facilities will spring up. Siting this new Ekiti New town not too far from the State capital and Afe Babalola University area will guarantee investment opportunities for those looking for octane environment to site their hotels, business interests etc.
The masterplan of the new town which should include the linking up of the railway line, the proposed airport, good intercollection roads from various sides etc will give an accelerated development to the new city and a new look to the State capital and make Ado a proud city it should be.
Snake Island, Banana Island etc in Lagos were all about creative masterplan that looks impossible but with vision and determination, it is reality. Ekiti need a new Dubai and this is possible with cheer determination.
The usual rhetoric is the fear of where will Ekiti get capital for such gigantic project. Many times, the thought of fear itself is greater than what it is we fear.” The greatest mistake a State will be making is not thinking big enough because there is no shortage of money on the planet but shortake of dreams and ideas and idea rules the world. When the idea comes, the money will follow.
The present administration of Dr. Fayemi is at liberty to further write his name in gold in the history of our dear State once again by been creative in setting in motion for successive administration to follow and complete, a new octane highbrow city with modern facilities not far from the State capital so as to free up the State capital for further development, create jobs, increase the revenue generation through influx of visitors and entrepreneurs etc. This will be a clear departure from the usual “kabiyesi, maawole”.
