New Year Broadcast By His Excellency, Dr. Peter Ayodele Fayose, Governor To The People Of Ekiti State On January 1, 2018.

Good people of Ekiti State,

I give thanks to the Almighty God for conducing this opportunity for
me to address you on this significant milestone of a New Year 2018.
This milestone is significant to me, as you are aware, that this will
be my last New Year address to you as Governor of Ekiti State. To God
be the glory now and forever more.
I am grateful to you my good people of Ekiti State for giving me the
rare opportunity to govern this State for a second term. It has
afforded me the opportunity to consolidate on the achievements of the
past and correct some erroneous impressions and deliberate mischiefs
peddled against me towards the twilight of my first coming.

I thank our Royal Highnesses, Elder Statesmen, Community and Religious
Leaders, Market Women, Artisans, Okada Riders, Members of the
Transport Union who turned out enmasse to vote for me in the election
that produced me as Governor, a second time, after eight years of
forced exit.
I thank the Public Service, members of the Organized Private Sector,
the Legislative arm of government, members of the State Executive
Council and indeed the Judiciary.
I thank the Youth, Students and of course children for their
demonstration of love and support for me as was witnessed during the
last few weeks when I went round the State to give out Christmas and
New Year gifts to our people.
In not too distant future, I hope to embark on a farewell tour of our
State, to thank you all for the priviledge given to me to lead you.

My dear people, I have a sense of fulfillment as I proceed to complete
the two tenures of my mandate. God has helped me to justify the huge
confidence reposed in me.
I have opened up the horizon of Ekiti State from a rustic countryside
to an emerging urban centre in the provisions of infrastructure
notably in road construction, public buildings and socio economic
transformation generally.
During my first tenure in office, I started the dualization of the
Ado-Ekiti major motor ways. My government, during this second term,
has been able to extend the dualization of roads to most of our Local
Government headquarters.
The icing on the cake is the construction of the multibillion Naira
1.3km Ado-Ekiti overhead carriage which now links Fajuyi park, flying
over the Okesa market to the Ojumose road axial.

I am also happy to remark that the public building projects which we
started during my first tenure in places like the Government House,
the State Secretariat and the Trade Fair Arena, to mention but a few,
have continued with a new Governor's office, a befitting complex for
the Judiciary and a new residential apartment for the Speaker of the
House of Assembly. My Government will complete these projects
including the ultra-modern market in Ado-Ekiti.
The Adunni Olayinka Multipurpose Women Development Centre was built
during this second tenure by my government to provide guidance and
counseling and other support services for women and children.
We decided to name the edifice after a Former Deputy Governor produced
by an opposition party to underscore our commitment to politics
without bitterness.

Aside these monumental infrastructural projects, my government has
also undertaken far-reaching human and human capital development
programmes which has impacted positively as could be seen in recent
rankings of Ekiti State performances in competitive national
Examinations and other human development indexes. For instance, our
State recorded the first position consecutively in 2016 and 2017 in
the National Examination Council (NECO) assessments for Secondary
Schools in Nigeria.
I have asked that these landmark achievements be put together in a
compendium which shall be presented to the people of our State at the
point of my exit.

On the other hand, my government has had a fair share of moments of
challenges and travails. I should also thank my adversaries,
including my virulent critics for expressing their views and
perspectives on my person, my style and on my government. I consider
this as part of nation building as we cannot have same views and
attitudes on issues of development and progress.
I have seen all attacks, jibes and vituperations as rights of
individuals and groups to express themselves as guaranteed by the
Nigeria Constitution.
Consequently, I owe neither grudge nor malice against anyone. My
government had not for once intimidated, harassed or used the
instrument of State against any real or perceived opponents. Instead,
I have always believed in dialogue and the inclusion of all in
governance.

Fellow citizens, the last few years of this government had not been
very smooth. Ekiti State was not immuned from the consequences of the
national economic recession besetting our country. This together with
the huge debt burden which we inherited from the administration of
Governor Former Kayode Fayemi actually made it very difficult for us
to meet up with certain basic obligations particularly in the payment
of workers remunerations. We have however tried our best within the
limits of available resources.
I like to put it on record that my administration did not commit this
State to any indebtedness despite the financial challenges that
confronted us. Let me also state that the Federal Government made
available, a facility of N10 billion to each State of the Federation,
for capital development. This had been netted against our equitable
shares from the Excess Crude Account (ECA). I am happy to state that
the portion for Ekiti State had been judiciously deployed for
monumental capital development projects including the Ado-Ekiti
overhead road, the new Ado market among others.
We ran an open government by which the cross section of the populace
is involved in the mobilisation and expenditure of public funds.

In the New Year, we shall continue in that same style and redouble our
efforts as I do not want to leave Ekiti Government House as debtor of
salaries.

I am not also unmindful of the yearnings and aspirations of our people
in other arrears of government responsibilities but we can only do one
thing at a time. The insufficiency of today will turn out to be
abundance of tomorrow if we can improve on our efforts and dedication.
Let us keep hope alive and continue to support government in all its
endeavours.

During the out-going year, we took the bull by the horn by confronting
headlong, security issues that confronted our State especially the
menaces of abductors, kidnappers and cultists. Also we tackled the
nefarious activities of cattle rearers. We have put in place
appropriate legal and structural frameworks to silence those
anti-social behaviours permanently. We have made significant progress
along these lines.
I am sure that history and posterity will remember us for good in all
these strides.

Good people of Ekiti State, let us enter the New Year with joy and
gratitude to God. Let us renew our faith and hope in a better
tomorrow. The greatest thing that has happened to us is the identity
that we have in a State of our own.
Ekiti has been led by different leaders and Political Parties but the
people remain the common denominator and will be able to discern their
friends from pretenders. Now I belief you know the true patriots and
lovers of this State.
It is time for us to have continuity and stability at the political
front. We have lots of lessons to learn from Lagos State which has
put its economic endowment in the hands of competent and stable
managers over time, using the same political platform.
It is certain that continuity has the capacity to secure for us
landmark and sustainable development.
I urge you all to support me and my party - the Peoples Democratic
Party - to transit and produce the next leadership for this State.
Economic and Social Development are veritable outcomes of very sound,
consistent and stable political superstructure.

Once again, I thank you all for the journey so far while I look
forward for more cooperation from you in the New Year.

Thank you, happy New Year and May God bless us all.