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Author: Yemisi Fadairo
Posted to the web: 8/18/2005 10:04:56 AM

When Alhaji Najeeb Usen Adamu, the Emir of Kazaure, in Jigawa state received the Ekiti State Governor, Otunba Ayodele Fayose in his palace recently, he referred to the Ekiti State chief executive as an action packed governor. The emir told his guest, who was accompanied by the Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Saminu Turaki, that his familiarity with a certain former governor of Ekiti state had made him assume his friend, while in office, was full of action and no subsequent chief executive would be able to surpass him in terms of implementing people-oriented projects. Recent events, he noted, have however changed his opinion as he has come to realize that Fayose has outdone his friend and is more suited for this appellation. Reason for this is the swift manner with which the Ekiti governor has been reacting to issues which concern development of the state and the people. Those present at the event would have thought the Emir was simply being courteous, but the royal father has been vindicated by some recent actions of the governor. Subsequent actions taken by Fayose after his first official visit to Jigawa recently have proved beyond reasonable doubt that the Ekiti State number one citizen is in truth and in deed action packed. The follow-up visit of a 60-member delegation from Ekiti State which has earned Fayose kudos from positive thinking people and knocks from others who read political meanings into every move by opponents, has gone a long way to show that Nigeria still has patriotic leaders who are not blinded by pettiness and political intrigues when it comes to moving the people and the nation forward. The journey to the much talked about visit of the team to Jigawa, started after what one thought was a pay-back visit. Everyone had considered the visit of Fayose to be simply a follow-up to a similar one by Turaki to Ekiti, but the Ekiti governor made it clear that there is more to it than this.   On arrival in Dutse, the Jigawa State capital, Fayose said his trip was not only because his Jigawa counterpart called on him, but also because he wanted to see for himself, the giant strides of Turaki which has been the topic of discussion all over the country. For this purpose, Fayose was in Jigawa for three days and at the end of the visit, this humble leader, put sentiments and politicking aside and poured encomium on his host, giving honour to whom it is due. The governor of a state controlled by the Peoples Demo cratic Party (PDP), rival of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) on which platform Turaki was elected, could not hide the fact that he was not only overwhelmed by what he saw but also proud to be associated with the governor he described as 'a rare gem and a hero chosen by God to alleviate the poverty of his people.' The first shocker for Fayose was when the Jigawa governor at a Gala Night hosted for his visitor and his entourage in the evening of their first day, introduced as one of his special assistants, a Yoruba man of Ekiti root. Fayose, in the midst of everyone present, opened his mouth wide in amazement and commended Turaki for his detribalized disposition, even to governance.   And when the tour proper started the next day, Fayose saw not only the gigantic ICT, water, road and housing projects, but also the innovation and ingenuity employed to implement them. He was so astonished that he could not but declare: 'There are two things, reality and hype. What we have seen here is reality'. Infact, the visitor at a point during the tour round project sites in some local government areas told his host he had seen enough and wanted to go back to Dutse. This he confessed to at the palace of the Emir when he said 'at a point, I told the governor, let us go back to Dutse because I don’t want my eyes to oversee. I saw and I saw and I saw and I saw and I saw and I saw and I saw and there were too many things to see. 'It is very rare for such a personality to come into this world. They come once a while. He is a man whose heart is given to development, not only material development but also human development', he said of Turaki. Fayose, not wanting the gains of his visit elude the generality of the people of Ekiti, decided to collaborate with Jigawa in several areas, particularly ICT, stabilized earth block making and water drilling. To Fayose, this is a wise decision and that 'it takes a wise man to come down and learn from the feet of another man'. It was for this reason that before he left for home, he informed his host of his decision to replicate some of the people-oriented projects implemented by the Turaki administration in Jigawa. 'I will take it back home and impact it on my people', he said of the ICT initiative, which according to him is second to none. He was full of praises for the Jigawa State governor and said that 'Turaki is the man God has used to bring information to the whole of Nigeria. To be continued. Fadairo is the Special Assistant, Media to Governor Saminu Turaki