HOW DO YOU CONSOLE AN 81-YEAR OLD WOMAN WHOSE DAUGHTER JUST PASSED AWAY THROUGH CANCER?

[caption id="attachment_7927" align="alignleft" width="75"] RIP[/caption]

In fact, how do you console any human being especially a woman who just lost a child? Please read on...

Where’s my daughter, late Olayinka’s mum asks Gov Fayemi

THE 81 years old Mrs. Adetutu Grace Famuagun, mother of the late Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, Mrs Funmi Olayinka, yesterday, wept uncontrollably and repeatedly asked Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, the whereabout of her daughter.

Fayemi, who was at the Famuwagun’s family house, Oke Ori-Omi, where the parents of Mrs. Olayinka live in Ado Ekiti, at 10am, alongside his wife, Bisi and other top government functionaries, could not hide his emotion when the octogenarian mother kept asking “Kayode, where is Funmi?” repeatedly.

In a statement, Governor Fayemi said all his engagements, including the symposium organised for the youths at Ikogosi Ekiti are cancelled. Equally, the state has suspended all official ceremonies and opened condolence register in the office of the governor and the office of the deputy, including the state’s liaison office in Lagos and Abuja.

Already Governor Fayemi has declared a seven-day mourning during which all flags in the state will fly at half mast.

This came as Senate President David Mark, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Professor Wole Soyinka, state governors, senators and other prominent Nigerians continued to pay glowing tributes to Mrs. Olayinka, 52 and mother of three, who died in a Lagos hospital on Saturday after a long battle with cancer.

Condolences

Meanwhile, Senate President, David Mark, urged the Ekiti State government to immortalise late Olayinka in recognition of her contribution to the development of the state.

*CONDOLENCE – Mother of late Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, Mrs. Adetutu Famuagun; flanked by Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi (Right); and his wife, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, during a condolence visit to the Famuaguns over the demise of the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Funmilayo Olayinka, in Ado-Ekiti, Sunday.

In a condolence message through his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity,  Kola Ologbondiyan, Mark described the late deputy governor as an indomitable amazon, who stood to be counted when it mattered, stressing that her death was a huge loss to the nation.

Also  former Vice President  Atiku Abubakar  in a statement said the death of Mrs. Olayinka at such time when Ekiti State needed her services the most was most unfortunate.

Atiku Abubakar appealed to Governor Fayemi to accept the death of his deputy governor as an act of God, saying “the death of the Ekiti State deputy governor is not only a loss to Ekiti State, but to Nigeria because she was a faithful and committed compatriot.”

Governors

In Ondo State, Governor Olusegun Mimiko, through a statement by Eni Akinsola, his Chief Press Secretary, said the death of such a young, lively and active leader could not but evoke deep feeling of loss and sadness.

He said: “Nigerians were well aware that she was indisposed, but were hoping and praying that she will scale through and come out stronger and better. We were therefore shocked to hear of her death. It is sad, sad news.

“It evokes a deep feeling of loss and sadness. The demise of Mrs Olayinka will be greatly felt by her husband, children, political acolytes and indeed the good people of Ekiti State.

”Sad as it is, we cannot but thank God for her life, pray that her soul finds repose in the Lord and seek God’s Grace and strength for the family to bear the loss.”

On his part, Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State, described the death of Ekiti State Deputy Governor Ekiti as devastating and a big blow to progressive politics in the state and Nigeria.

A statement by the Director, Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, said the demise of the late Olufunmilayo Olayinka who died of cancer had shown that government at all levels should brace up and give the necessary attention to the treatment and detection of cancer.

He said: “Lives of millions of women are being threatened as they suffer under the disease of cancer without early detection and adequate treatment. Government at all levels should rise up to the task by subsidising the cost for testing and treatment.”

Fashola, Oshiomhole, Uduaghan others mourn

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos, in a condolence message by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Hakeem Bello, described the deceased as a great daughter of the state who made her mark professionally and then offered to serve her people.

The governor said: “As a brother Governor, I feel completely overwhelmed, just imagining the depth of your pain and anguish at the death of a most loyal, dependable and diligent deputy which you had in Mrs. Olayinka.

“When the history of the restoration of the democratic mandate freely given by the duo of Governor Fayemi and the late Deputy Governor as well as the back-breaking work to restore the meaningful governance to Ekiti state comes to be written, a very glorious and general mention would be made of the late Deputy Governor.”

Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, in his condolence message, through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Peter Okhiria, said: “We learnt with deep shock and grief about the death of the Deputy Governor of Ekiti State.

“Mrs Olayinka gave her all to the recovery of the mandate freely given to the Governor and herself by the good people of Ekiti state and she was unwavering in her quest to deepen the nation’s democracy by going through the judicial process.”

Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, through his Press Secretary, Mr. Felix Ofou,  in a statement, said: “The Delta Governor praised the courage and strength of the late Deputy Governor in the battle against cancer. She worked tirelessly to please everyone until a few weeks ago when it was announced that she was proceeding on medical leave.

“Not once did she betray signs of being sick. May be a few persons were aware of her health status. All we saw was a courageous and strong woman willing to please everyone.”

On his part, Cross River State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke, in a condolence statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Christian Ita, said although words seemed inadequate to express the sorrow felt by her loss, ”we must try to see beyond her demise and focus on the memories of her good works and life long achievements.

“The thoughts and prayers of the people of cross River State are with her family and people of Ekiti state during this difficult time.”

On his part, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State , through a condolence message by his Chief Press Secretary, Alhaji Abdulwahab Oba, described the passage of Mrs. Olayinka as a national loss as she died at a young age with a lot of ideas, zeal and vision that could help in shaping a better Ekiti State and the building of a virile Nigeria.

Soyinka condoles

Prof. Soyinka, in condolence message, said: “Her departure will be felt as a great loss to your administration, to the people of Ekiti State, but most especially to her family, to whom I request that you be so kind as to convey my message of fortitude in the face of this grievous bereavement.”

Senators pay tributes

Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu in a condolence message in Abuja, through his Special Adviser, Media, Mr. Uche Anichukwu, said Mrs Olayinka was not only a “promising female leader but a progressive and distinguished professional who wholeheartedly dedicated herself to the service of the good people of Ekiti and the entire nation.”

Senator Gbenga Ashafa, representing Lagos East Senatorial District, in his brief message, expressed shock over the news of the deputy governor’s death, who he described, as “heroine of Democracy.”

Others who paid condolences included former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu; former governor of Ekiti State, Chief Segun Oni; member, House of Representatives, representing Ado-Ekiti/Irepodun-Ifelodun Federal Constituency, Ekiti State, Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele; Osun State chapter of ACN and Conference of Alumni Associations of Nigerian Universities, CAANU.

FROM VANGUARD NEWSPAPERS

EDUCATION AND LIVING-WHY CANT ALL STATES IN NIGERIA BE LIKE THESE ACN STATES?

SOMETHING IS HAPPENING IN EKITI STATE FOR REAL!

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Something is happening in Ekiti State that needs to be told. And I will, since I bear witness to it.

Quite a few folks, including my good friend and brother Femi Orebe and Sam Omatseye,

both columnists in The Nation newspaper, have written volubly, extolling the “quiet

revolution” going on in Ekiti State. It is difficult reading some of the stuff written by them

and not think, ‘there’s some exaggeration afoot.’ I needed to be there to see with my own

eyes.I finally wrestled the demon of procrastination and made it to Ado-Ekiti last week, my first

time there since Dr. Kayode Fayemi became the governor two years ago. Ekiti had really

never been a favourite destination for me. Tucked within the heartland of

the old West, it seemed its only distinguishing tourist feature was some “miracle of

nature” somewhere in the denseness of the Ekiti forests at a village called Ikogosi,

where cold and warm water springs out side by side from the ground into a running

stream; and her only claim to fame was that old high school of excellence — Christ

School, Ado-Ekiti — along with Ekiti’s renown as the land where every household has a

PhD holder! But, over the years, even those little graces had wilted and become virtually

the stuff of distant memories. Ekiti land, with all its vaunted brains, had proved not

immune to the malaise of a country gone to the dogs: although nature had remained

faithful with its ‘miracle’ warm spring at Ikogosi, the forest had reclaimed its own and it

would’ve taken a dare to venture there in a hurry (the way it was fun for me to do some

30 years or so ago). Christ School had become a sham, with neither ‘Christ’ nor ‘school’

in place. Gloom was evident all over the land, the roads were impassable, and even

Ado-Ekiti had become no more than a glorified village! In the few times I had strained to

be in Ekiti in the last 10 years — essentially for one ceremony or the other of friends like

the late Rufus Orisayomi and Akin Osuntokun — the experiences had been some ordeal.

But there was no mocking of Ekiti, the fate that befell her had befallen virtually the entire

old West. Successive governments had been preoccupied with the glamour and

self-opportunities of office. Lacking in depth, vision and commitment, governance was

essentially cosmetic and nothing beyond how to share the monthly dole from Abuja

between individual pockets and token gestures of attention to desolate infrastructure

within a governor’s very limited horizon. Everything was about politics — politics of the

stomach and of longevity in office. I was in Ado-Ekiti last week at the instance of

Governor Fayemi who rightly felt this old man has been unfair in not visiting Ekiti since

he became governor, even when we shared some common history in the struggle

against Gen. Sani Abacha and for the enthronement of democracy. Of course, Fayemi’s

antecedent and role far outstripped mine in those years — be it as the brain-box of Radio

Kudirat or as intellectual strategist for many global institutions and governments, having

himself acquired a doctorate in War Studies from the prestigious King’s College,

University of London. Accompanied by my barrister son, Kunle, and my friend from way

back in England, Taiwo Adedoyin, I was provided with a vehicle and guides (led by the

Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, ex-PUNCHer Yinka Oyebode) to tour the state and

go as I pleased. For hours and hours, we drove with our mouths drooping in amazement

at what we saw.

The renewal of the urbanity of Ado-Ekiti as the state capital was clearly evident: arterial

roads that had been half-heartedly begun by preceding governments have been

widened and dualized, with streetlights installed all along the median. As old roads are

being reconstructed and retarred to high standards, new ones are surfacing

everywhere; city center is buzzing with new energy — buildings wear new look, shops

and petty businesses are all over; new impressive structures are springing up; an

arcade here, a center there. But the development was not limited to the state capital. As

we drove for miles and miles, we were stunned to find dualised roads running for long

stretches and high-grade roads interconnecting most towns and villages. I learned other

governors wonder how Fayemi has been able to have so many roads done in just two

years! Our eyes connected with schools beckoning with renovated or new buildings

wearing bright new looks and we are told about 100 schools have already benefited in

the first phase and the exercise would continue until all public schools have been

restored to their old glory. However, even all would be nothing were they limited to

these externalities. Truly concerned about the rottenness of the education standard,

Fayemi has embarked on a holistic restructuring and restitution of education in the state:

re-equipping the schools with appropriate furniture and sporting equipment, and

starting the teachers on a whole range of training and retraining after the discovery that

a scandalous less than 10 per cent of teachers in the state primary schools could pass a

primary four exam! At secondary school level, Fayemi has done something

unprecedented, perhaps in the entire country. He has provided customized and solar-

powered laptops to about 30,000 pupils and 18,000 teachers. The stunning achievement

has encouraged the manufacturers of the computers — Samsung — to set up a computer

engineering centre in Ado-Ekiti that would be a manpower training and development

centre and assembly workshop for their computers! The buildings’ foundations have

been laid and work is going on apace. It is difficult, nay impossible, to write all there is to

write about what Fayemi has done or is geared to doing in Ekiti State in just a

thousand-word column. And yet, it is important to let the world know about every aspect

of this amazingly resourceful and talented (genius, I’d say) governor’s program in

their uniqueness and developmental pace. His style of government is similar to that of

Fashola of Lagos State in intellectualism, seriousness and time management, shorn of

frivolities and giving no room to entertaining jesters and debilitating stream of unhelpful

visitors. And similar to that of

Osun’s Aregbesola and Edo’s Oshiomhole in pace and vision. Fayemi pioneered a Social

Security Program for the aged, paying a monthly stipend of

N5,000 to all registered elderly people and provides free medical services for children,

pregnant women and the aged. His investment program spans agriculture and

industry. The moribund Ire Bricks Factory and Odua Enterprise Centre have been

resuscitated. More spectacularly, he is developing a ‘tourism corridor’ around the

Ikogosi Warm Spring, which is already redeveloped with villa chalets and an

amphitheatre outsourced to a top South African tourism company, to include vast

stretches of game reserve, Disneyland type of amusement complexes, etc. To be honest,

I do not know and cannot even imagine how this guy does it. He says he has managed to

raise the state’s IGR from a paltry N109m to N600m monthly, mainly by blocking existing

loopholes in the tax collection and management systems. Above all, I think what stands

Fayemi in good stead are his frugality, integrity, intellectual base, and his vast

international connections and credibility, all of which have been deployed in the race to

making Ekiti a positive example in Nigeria, nay Africa. If I sound like I’ve been paid to be

Fayemi’s megaphone, I apologize; but I challenge the reader to go there and come out

sounding different!

 

By Tunde Fagbenle