COMMENTS WORTH SHARING
Submitted on 2014/07/09 at 3:31 am
It is easy to react cognitively and logically to the Ekiti election without critically appraising the fundamental realities. It would be an insult on the people of Ekiti whose gallantry, demonstrated the will of the people, which by so doing, showcased democracy at its best!
It is annoying the more when people who are supposed to know imply that the election was rigged! What is rigging? That there was no election? That the result was manipulated? That voters were not allowed to vote? Nothing of such! Fayemi is an activist; he’s expected to have nose for ‘cheating’ and subsequent zero tolerance for such. He was the first to ‘Officially’ congratulate Fayose! He lost in his ward and local government; Isan Ekiti! APC lost in all 12 local Governments of the State. At the University of Ado Ekiti, all the community of students, lecturers and non-academic staff did not vote for one of their own, a Phd holder! What does that say about Fayemi? Wherefore is the rigging?
Ekiti election was a total rejection of Fayemi, his style and the Lords pulling the strings of direction and leadership. He was disconnected from the people and the reality. The same thing is happening in Lagos, Osun. The same system that emerged these governors as the candidates in APC before they were presented for general election was ‘selection’. Because they were ‘the chosen and annointed’, they tend to believe they are the best. They stir all kinds of anti-people ’reforms’.
Truly, investing in people is far better than ‘flower round-abouts’ infrastructures …
World’s emerging economy grows their people first, then the people will grow infrastructures. That’s the natural and logical way and not the other way round. Investing in people is making education affordable to all. It is providing jobs. It is encouraging people to be useful to themselves and the society by laying the entrepreneurial platforms for potential and willing individuals. It is not building shopping malls that are expensive more than the reach of the voters. It is not braggadocio and arrant arrogance of ‘I know-better-than-you-all” by insulting a race up to their Obas or thinking that the wisdom to rule rests only on you.
It will be foolhardiness to assume that the Ekitis, known throughout Nigeria as perhaps more homes/per capita with Ph.D holders than others have suddenly become stupid and oblivious of Fayose’s flaws and alleged corruption. It would be insulting to imply that over 200,000+ voters for Fayose over the 120,000 for Fayemi all got rice or money while those who voted for the learned Fayemi were not induced in any way. Ekitis are more discerning than that; I know that most voters are more discerning than that.
I believe that between Satan and the Devil on 21st of June, 2014, the very smart and discerning Ekiti people chose the devil in Fayose! It is sad for Nigeria but as things are right now, we will keep getting this kind of electoral results until something radically different happens.
NOTE:
As these things go in Nigeria, it must be mentioned that Mr. Daramola is from Ondo State and not Ekiti State. He fights with the same passion for Osun State, Lagos and most things and places Nigerian. TOLA.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 2014. 8:45 a.m. [GMT]
emotanafricana.com 
July 9, 2014 at 10:42 am
… “World’s emerging economy grows their people first, then the people will grow infrastructures. That’s the natural and logical way and not the other way round.”
I have read similar powerful, articulate and logical comments on the Ekiti state’s gubernatorial election. But, one thing is always missing: Considering the character of the winner. Hence, I repeat my comment : Dr. Fayemi was a disaster, but losing the election to Mr. Fayose was abominable!
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July 10, 2014 at 5:07 am
Dear Prof.,
Thanks for this.
Where we are at politically which generally determines economic achievements and a good score on how our people should feel about their lives IS a tragedy. Having said that, I must add that a decent human being would find it difficult to be a good politician while I believe a “good politician” is generally, RARELY decent.
Here’s what President Harry S. Truman, that rare politician – like President Carter – reportedly said in one of his many down-to-earth observations that he dared say out: “I could have been a pianist in a w*hore house or a politician, there is not much difference”.
My regards, as always,
TOLA.
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July 10, 2014 at 7:14 am
Dear ma,
You got me right.
That is the reason why I advocated sometime ago that women should steer clear of
politics. A NOBLE woman is too fine for the intrigues in politics as human beings practice it NOW. Perhaps, during the MILLENNIUM things will be better, and we can engage NOBLE women to lead us aright. That’s, men taking the physical positions, but women being the power house, advising and directing what should be done from behind the scene!
A. G. Falade
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July 10, 2014 at 7:53 am
My, oh my, Dear Prof,
THAT is what I call r-e-v-o-l-u-t-i-o-n-a-r-y!
Now, why did you fill the form for “FOLLOW (FOLLOW”, remembering our Late Dear Fela Anikulapo-Kuti) as you’ve remained on my e-list?
Regards,
TOLA.
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July 9, 2014 at 10:21 am
Good talk Fayth. If the election was rigged, Ekiti would have been burning by now knowing the resentment of the Yorubas especially the Ekitis towards such acts. We were all living witnesses to what happened in 1983 when NPN rigged Omoboriowo to the
government house. Even if this
election was rigged, it was rigged
for people’s choice. Let’s stop
insulting the intelligences of Ekiti
people or wherever similar thing
may occur in the future. What are on
the ground as anti-people activities
against Fayemi are more than
labelling the election as being
rigged. One of such is arrogance to
governance.
Arrogance killed AD
governors in 2003. The present
APC governors in the South West
are drinking from the same cup.
They will lose their states because of this.
The mere fact that people loved and
voted them to power does not mean
they should take people for a ride. It
is the beauty of democracy in action that if you are not wanted
anymore, be ready to be thrown out
through the ballot boxes. Enough of lying to the people and wasting our
money on projects that will not
yield anything to the economy of
our States. What happened in Ekiti State can happen in any of the remaining South West States or any State in Nigeria.
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July 19, 2014 at 12:36 am
Dear Fatai,
It is true that if people feel taken for granted, they will respond during voting time. I’ve personally been worried at the talking-down to that some have done over the Ekiti election. While my being no Fayose fan is well-known to most who have followed my writing from The Comet about ten years ago, thousands and thousands of full-blooded Ekiti people would be out in the streets if they really did not vote for him, a fact that the very low turn-out attests to. I thought Gov. Fayemi got it by describing the vote as speaking for a “new Ekiti” which I thought was a natural first step to his congratulating Fayose as a “brother”.
I believe the APC needs to go back to the drawing board and work towards erasing the idea that many now have in the Southwest that there really is not much difference between the political parties.
What I’m really opposed to – and I’ve mentioned it times without number for state and “federal” levels – is the mind-boggling borrowings that will cripple our people, no matter the party. These loans will not create wealth but will continue to pummel the Naira so much that the N200/$1 is not far from here; expensive borrowings lead to impoverishment of the majority of the people. I’ve been writing about these loans since 2003 and many of the writings have been copied here and can be found on this blog through the ‘search box.’ It’s why Economy Czarina – by the way, a name I coined for Dr. Iweala – has an army of Yoruba “admirers” – going by their names – who stalk my every writing that mentions ‘borrowing’, ‘loans to Nigeria’, et cetera.
Rather than name-calling and Ekiti bashing, by the way, “rice” is given out by MOST politicians in Nigeria today.
Regards,
TOLA.
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