Stakeholders across various sections of Ekiti State have applauded the administration of Dr Kayode Fayemi for the high level of transparency demonstrated on its projects.
They described the projects as not only overwhelming but also surpassing their imaginations.
One of the Stakeholders and former Director of Ekiti State National Orientation Agency, Mr Dayo Famosaya, who spoke at David Oke Comprehensive High School, Ado Ekiti, expressed surprise that the State Government had embarked on such massive infrastructure and road projects with the little resources accruing to the state from the federal government.
Famosaya who spoke on behalf of others shortly after an on-the-spot assessment tour of some projects sites visited in Ado Ekiti, the state capital and its environ, described the projects as overwhelming and that their experiences had added credibility and transparency to the government of Dr Kayode Fayemi.
He identified the need to embark on massive drive to sensitize the people of the state on the presence of the various projects visited and called on communities who benefited from the projects to speak about the various developments happening in their vicinities.
He said: “The projects have been quite wonderful, I am overwhelmed, I am overwhelmed because I don’t know the government has spent so much to put all these projects in place. I think it is time for communities where those things have been set up to start talking about the projects.
“There must be massive drive to sensitize the people to ensure that people know that these projects are in place. This will make the people to appreciate the good work of the Governor better.
“I am most impressed with the new edifice built to house water corporation, I learnt that it is second of such in the southwest region. This is called transparency, because if you put up a structure and you ask people to come and look at it, it shows that the governor is being transparent. I give kudos to him”.
Also the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Hon Biodun Omoleye who led the stakeholders on the tour, said the project tour was part of the state transparency strategy designed to enable stakeholders including government functionaries, youths, students, union leaders, interest and professional groups, journalists to assess the various projects that had been executed by the Fayemi administration.
The stakeholders visited the state headquarters of Water Corporation, Iworoko Road Ado; Asphalt Processing Plant, Ado; Ayo Fasanmi Comprehensive High School; the perimeter fencing of the ongoing airport project site; Banji Akintoye Comprehensive High School, Ado; Agbado-Ode-Isinbode-Omuo road project; and David Oke Comprehensive High School, Ado.
Speaking on how the state government was able to embark on such massive projects considering the global economic crisis, Hon Omoleye explained that the transparency of Dr Fayemi in governance and execution of projects have increased the confidence of international donors, partners and sponsors in sustaining their partnership with the state government which had helped in the execution of some of the projects toured.
The Chief of Staff added that the state government had also created a friendly environment and avenue for investment and have also been able to attract funding agencies’ support.
He said the Fayemi administration operates an open governance where every activity involving financial transactions were made available on the state website.
“If you are not running a transparent government, you will not get support. I think the problem we have in the past was that the government was done in obscurity and nobody will transact with you when they don’t know where their funds are going to.
“Every activities involving the spending of the state government is on our website, so nothing is done in obscurity. The state is transparent, what goes in and what goes out including how every kobo is expended is transparently displayed on our website.
“Development partners have been willing to partner with us and we have been taping into this. We subscribed to open governance policy and programme and so we are seen as on of the disciplined and transparent governments in Nigeria,” he added.