Governor, Mr Ayo Fayose
POLSCOPE with Eddy Odivwri eddy.odivwri@thisdaylive.com 08053069356
Perhaps one vital attribute of the Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayo Fayose is that he maintains a close knit with the people, the ordinary people, a virtue he has benefited from in politics.
Perhaps one vital attribute of the Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayo Fayose is that he maintains a close knit with the people, the ordinary people, a virtue he has benefited from in politics.
Three weeks ago, he stretched this virtue to a breaking point when he whimsically appointed a 72-year old illiterate retired carpenter, Mr Joel Olatunde Sebotimi, as the caretaker chairman of Moba Local Government Area in his state.
Since then, I have been struggling to reconcile the rationale behind his action to no avail.
First, it is an affront on the ethos of democracy for a governor to whimsically appoint whomever he likes as the head of the third tier of government whether or not it is on interim basis. Too often, governors treat the local government as a conquered vassal, or a department of Government House. And that is why many governors see the local government chairmen (even when elected) as an extension of their appointees. But it is not. It is fully recognized in the constitution.
The question therefore arises as to why a governor can appoint just anybody to head this arm of government whereas the constitution prescribes that the leaders of the Local Government Councils be elected, not appointed.
Many of the governors keep the heads of the local governments perpetually in interim status so they (governors) can continually oppress the council heads and use them to do their bidding without any whiff of protest. This is wrong.
The appointment of Pa Sebotimi as Council boss, for all intents and purposes is Fayose’s vintage act of playing to the gallery. He merely wants to be seen as having a bonding relationship with the commoners of society.
Just this week, it was reported also that he dashed a physically-challenged cobbler N.5million, yet the state House of Assembly just approved a loan of N19 billion for him to pay salaries and run government.
All it shows is a government run by impulse and a strong desire to appear populist at the expense of economic wisdom and overall interest of the state. If Fayose has a well thought-out development plan for the state, he certainly will not be dashing a roadside shoemaker that sum, and to know that this is a state that is in some financial mess.
I would have had no problem with his famed eating of Amala with Okada riders at Mama Put sheds. In doing that, he curries the favour
