EKITI Indigenes Carpet Fayose Over Newspaper Partisan Advertorials.

The executive governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose has come under severe criticisms by some indigenes of the state over what they considered as indiscriminate use of the state’s funds for political propaganda particularly his incessant sponsored full-page-coloured advertorials in various newspapers even after all elections in the state had been concluded. The indigenes lament dispassionately that while all those elected at the same time and even after the governor across the country have since concentrated on battling to make remarkable impacts that will touch the lives of the average citizens in their respective domains. On the contrary, the state under the leadership of the governor is yet to come up with a blueprint towards moving the state from the remarkable point the previous administration stopped.

Admittedly, the people welcomed the concept of opposition stating emphatically that all over the world, opposition is the hallmark of democracy, however, condemned vehemently the consistent sponsored advertorials in various newspapers by the state government running concurrently in various newspapers at the detriment of the development of the state, adding that such acts leave much to be desired of a governor. According to a prominent indigene that aired his views on the condition of anonymity, he said, “the state’s fund spent so far by the state government on political propaganda could rehabilitate some public schools and roads in the State. Sadly, the elections are over, still, rather than showing signs of innovations, the governor unknowingly remains chronically partisan at the expense of the state treasury while other states are making substantial progress”.

Recall that prior to the general elections, the governor sumptuously embarked on media-war against the All Progressive Congress and her candidates particularly the Presidential candidate through sponsored publications until the erstwhile President Goodluck Jonathan apprehending the unfeasibility of hallucination conceded defeat to President Mohammadu Buhari shortly before the conclusion of the election. The concession apart from saving the country from chaos and imminent crises also rewardingly placed the former President in a record of international repute. Disappointedly, the ex-President’s aides were perplexed particularly Elder Godswill Orubabe, erstwhile minister of the Niger-Delta Affairs and Mr. Ayo Fayose. It is also noted that the governor lavishly used all at his disposal including anti-conventional norms especially personal attacks and distasteful propagandas on both offline and online media platforms.

Lamenting thunderously, another indigene of the state said  “the governor, no doubt, is entitled to express opinions and be a notable voice in the opposition, nevertheless, to endlessly resort to the state’s fund for partisanship after elections is incontrovertibly thoughtless, height of irresponsibility and a misguided priority, and therefore unacceptable to us. If the governor truly has valuable reservations against the policies of the ruling APC and her government, the media is ever-willing to grant him audience, and therefore what is the rationale behind spending such huge amounts of public funds on such frivolities as expensive as coloured advertorials.”

Several others interviewed filed similar opinions. Mr. Akintayo Jabaru, an indigene  of the state resident in Lagos informed our team that the electorates have now realized their omission or commission. He said, “The state which hitherto was enviably characterized by dignity and grandeur is presently passing through the negative side of democracy after the last election that produced the present government. I wonder if the governor could expect his teeming clueless supporters who overwhelmingly voted him into office having been deceived by grass-root alliance to still expect such primordial sentiments at the end of the next election.” 

He therefore advised that the governor should rather embark on innovations that will impact positively on the lives of the citizens of the state.  His areas of interests include creation of employment opportunities, infrastructural development, and improvement of education in the state.