According to Wikipedia, the term “blogosphere” implies “that blogs exist together as a connected community or as a collection of connected communities”. This community was in Ekiti State on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 February, 2014 on a tour of the projects of the Dr. John Kayode Fayemi-led administration and for a no-holds-barred interactive session with the governor.
American broadcast journalist Anderson Cooper wrote: “I think it’s a good thing that there are bloggers out there watching very closely and holding people accountable. Everyone in the news should be able to hold up to that kind of scrutiny. I’m for as much transparency in the newsgathering process as possible”. Cooper is not the only one who shares this view; the Ekiti State Governor, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi popularly called JKF, from what transpired on 8 February, 2014 at Ikogosi Warm Spring and Resort, appears to be the first public office holder in recent times who can confidently expose himself to hard-hitting questions without losing his calm and providing sincere and critics-silencing answers devoid of the usual maradonic manner in which Nigerian politicians dodge questions by beating about the bush or spitting out vain rhetorics.
Having gone round the state on Friday 7 February, 2014, the bloggers and other key social media players, mostly youths who of course have the knack for asking embarrassing questions capable of putting anyone on the spot, had enough meat to chew and seemed ready to put the Ekiti State Governor on the hot seat.
Some Commissioners and Special Advisers in the administration had initially explained various achievements and exploits of their various ministries and beats. The Governor arrived during a tea break when most still queued up to help themselves to some snacks and a cup of tea. Many didn’t know that he had entered through another door. They were only jolted by the murmurs of “The Governor is here”.
Before anyone could blink, one of the social media actors had tweeted that the Governor’s shoes was dusty, but this was a governor who had been out very early attending to one issue or the other from place to place and was also rushing down to arrive the venue of the interactive session promptly. Some of the tweets arising from the session were put on screen in the Ikogosi Conference room venue of the interactive session and it was also streaming live on
YOUTUBE: www.youtube/ekitistatengr
GOOGLE+: plus.google.com/+
“We wanted people to know that government is not happenstance. We wanted people to know that government is not accidental. In every of our plan, we were specific about what we were going to do, the number of schools to be renovated… So, it was not accidental that we were the fastest to raise money in the capital market. It is not accidental that Ekiti now has the lowest HIV prevalence in the country,” Fayemi said, adding that for the three and a half years he was fighting to reclaim his stolen mandate, his team always prepared an alternative budget to the one by the State Government.
Asked about his security vote and salary, he answered that “We don’t have a security vote in Ekiti, but we have a contingency vote of N75 million that goes to all security agencies, even though they are federal agencies…My salary is N549, 000 monthly, but don’t forget, I live in a free house. I eat free food. I drive free cars. I don’t get furniture allowance because I live in a free house, but my commissioners get because they are not entitled to free accommodation.”
What a sincere way to defuse rumors and all sorts of misconceptions flying around. Even when many pro-government actors felt he could be too exposed the way the questions were flying in from all corners, Dr. Fayemi demonstrated a rare brilliance and transparency at a level never seen in recent times in Nigeria. What’s there to hide when there is really nothing to hide? As though this was not enough, he offered to forward his salary alert from the bank to the lady who asked for the amount he earned as salary.
Questions that many Nigerian public office holders would have considered rude and flared up were all addressed by the governor. He was calm, cultured, respectful and never for once displayed anger, whether in his demeanor or his voice. The bloggers themselves couldn’t help admiring the ease, respect and calmness with which he answered all questions.
“My administration is the first in this state to introduce the integrated payroll system, so we could eliminate ghost workers.
It is the same day that the governor gets his own salary alert that a teacher in Iyemero gets his own… My administration did not abandon any project started by Engineer Segun Oni. He didn’t use his personal money for the projects. It was Ekiti money. We would be shooting ourselves in the leg if we abandoned them”. How many Nigerian politicians could reason like this? It is hatred for previous administrations that has left Nigeria with so many abandoned projects, but certainly not in Ekiti State. Governor Kayode Fayemi belongs to a rare breed of politicians which is truthfully devoid of bile, hatred or envy. He is guided by what is best for the greatest number of Ekiti people, and that is life abundant.
Being the first public office holder in Nigeria to gather bloggers and social media players across the country in a no-holds-barred interactive session, the Ekiti State Governor has achieved another ‘first’ in the annals of Nigerian history that would forever be a reference point. He has built himself into a brand with both national and international outlooks that is fast emerging in the mould of icons like Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Nelson Mandela, amongst others in that category.
Dimeji Daniels writes from Ado-Ekiti
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