Today, I’m going to open our eyes to certain areas of our life as a State, and where we have marginalized ourselves either due to lack of interest or lackadaisical disposition, deep experience in governance, lack of networking knowledge or abysmal lack of focus.
In this case, I will be putting my searchlights on certain areas of governance where Ekiti- State has been short changing itself due to the “glossing over” by those who are supposed to open up ways for us in Abuja, the seat of power, and get us more opportunities. In this case, I’m talking about our State Executive arm of government. For the sake of those who would want to read politics into my presentation, I will be very clear and simple in my language. Let me start with the Federal Character Commission.
Between 2004 and 2013, Kwara -State held the position of Executive Chairman, and after a couple of years of interregnum, the position was reverted back to Kwara, and presently, Kwara- State still held forth at the Commission. In other words, the North Central has been holding forth in that Commission for over 15 years. Since its creation in 1996, the Executive Chairmanships of the Federal Character Commission has always been from the North, ditto for the DG of the National Directorate of Employment since 1986.
The question is, what comes next and where is the position of Ekiti in the next arrangements?Secondly, I’m aware that the Industrial Training Fund had made frantic efforts to establish a Training Centre in Ekiti in the past. In the whole of the South West, there’s only one, and that is located in Lagos.
The proposal to establish an ITF Training center came up sometime in June, 2021 when ITF sent delegation to Ekiti when I served in the JKF2. Please, what has become of this lofty gesture and what is the present Government done about it? I’m of the belief that having an ITF’s Training Centre in Ekiti, as well as having ITF State office in Ekiti at this material time will help in Job creation and boost the efforts of government in the areas of vocational skills development and sustainable livelihood. My question, therefore: what has become of the direct ITF’s rapprochement?Another area I would want to put my searchlight on is the relationship of the Ekiti- State government with the National Directorate of Employment.
Under JKF2, we had a very close working relationship with the NDE and Ekiti- State benefited immensely from its Small Medium Scale Business training and financial services to micro businesses, focussing essentially on women and young school leavers, Rural Agric Development training programmes, with financial support components, as well as the National Open Apprenticeship schemes. Please, what have become of all these, and how updated are we as regards all these programmes vis-a- vis jobs and wealth creations for our youths? The last in this series will be our position as regards Benin Owena River Basin Authority.
There are twelve River Basin Development Authorities spread across the thirty six states of the federation. One of them is called Benin Owena River Basin Development Authority with its area of jurisdiction covering three States namely Edo, Ondo and Ekiti, plus one Senatorial district in Delta State.
The appointment into management positions especially MD / CEO and Chairman of the Board is usually made from the four states.It is of note to observe that over the years, Ekiti State has not gotten a fair share of the appointments. As a matter of fact, Ekiti has been terribly marginalized in the Agency in the areas of appointment to key positions, project allocation and employment into all cadres among others.
For instance, while the position of MD / CEO has been occupied by Edo for twenty seven years cumulatively, Ekiti has only managed in the saddle for a total of just seven years.
It is on record that Ondo handed over the MD/CEO position to Edo in 2017. The Edo man spent eight years ( 2017 – 2025 ), two terms and just last month Ondo- State took over again from Edo thereby sidelining Ekiti- State due to the lack of interest by those who should make representation for Ekiti in the corridors of power.
Furthermore, the immediate past Board of the dissolved Benin- Owena River Basin Development Authority by President Tinubu was headed by a Ondo Indigene, in the person of Alh. Ali Olanusi, a former Deputy Governor of the State.
In the dissolved Board, it was so embarrassing that Ekiti was not even represented at all and a new Board Chairman who was appointed recently by Mr President is also from Edo State. The Benin Owena River Basin Authority which is into Agriculture, water, rural electrification, rural feeder roads and erosion control, etc once placed advertisements in Vanguard Newspaper on forty projects and only one out of the forty projects was allocated to Ekiti State.
We have quite a number of ministries and parastatals in Ekiti State that perform similar and relatively close functions. Therefore, having our own persons at the peak in this strategic parastatal would have catalysed synergies between the MDAs and Benin- Owena, which could have turned things around for us as a State. I want to charge those who presently have the sovereignty of Ekiti- State in their hands, to buckle up and grow above the pedestrian present.
In particular, if Ekiti indigene is in the saddle of for example, the Federal Character Commission or Benin Owena River Basin Authority, that individual will have the opportunity of driving the process from within and the results will obviously manifest.
I quite appreciate the distinguished members of the National Assembly, who in their individual spaces have been making contributions in attracting more federal institutions like the newly approved University at Iyin – Ekiti and College of Education, in Ilawe- Ekiti. I also recognize the efforts of the Senator from the North who has attracted tenured employment for young graduates in his constituency. These are commendable efforts, but we can always explore other more strategy areas ofu influence that will yield multiple rewards for Ekiti in the areas of Human Capital Development, job multiplication, wealth creation and sustainable livelihood.
If it’s about manpower, we have an appreciable number of capable hands in the State, and in the diaspora who can fit into bigger and strategic positions at the federal level.Enough of our myopic disposition to governance, please.
There are bigger pictures out there…., and before I close, I would want to ask, in the spirit of continuity, please where is Owo Arugbo, and what is the provision made for it in the 2025 State Budget? Thank you as the relevant authority does something with an eye to the future.
Lanre Ogunjobi (oshojokini), writes from Ado-Ekiti.
