2018: I’ll rally Ekiti people’s support ―Segun Adewale

Ekiti State governorship aspirant on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Otunba Segun Adewale, has said that he would concentrate efforts at realising his ambition to rule the state come July this year on his philanthropy rather than campaign to people of Ekiti for votes.

Adewale, who is former chairman, Lagos State chapter of the PDP, said this on Friday in a statement made available to newsmen after his sad encounter with youths in Ekiti who he witnessed were “playing soccer barefooted in the 21st Century.”

“It saddens my heart to see youths in Ekiti State playing soccer barefooted in the 21st century.  I have never seen a society that has neglected its youth as I have seen in Ekiti in recent months. The level of poverty and decadence occasioned by the failure of our political elite is beyond explanation. I can’t imagine a youth in 2018 playing football in a community organised competition barefooted until I saw it,” the PDP gubernatorial aspirant lamented.

The gubernatorial hopeful, who said he had since relocated to Ekiti from Lagos with the aim of contesting the 2018 governorship election and become the next elected governor of Ekiti, even though he had been actively involved in the politics of Lagos for over 16 years, said his belief that Ekiti had enough hands to ensure required changes had been proven wrong.

He said, however, that based on the level of poverty and decadence he saw especially during his various interactions with Ekiti youths, he had resolved to do more of philanthropy than campaign in communities across the state for votes.

Adewale precisely recalled that on Monday 22nd 2018, when he joined youths in his Ipoti Ekiti community to play soccer, saying the same playground of Ipoti High School which he used in 1978 as student still had the same goal post as provided by the then Indian principal of the school, with the pitch gone worse and in state of neglect, describing the situation as unimaginable 40 years after.

“On Monday 22nd, 2018, I joined youths in my community, Ipoti Ekiti to play soccer on the same playground I used in 1978 as a student. It is unimaginable that 40 years after, the goal post is still the same provided by our Indian Principal, the pitch has gone worse and the Ipoti High School is in a state of neglect and dilapidated,” he further lamented.

The PDP chieftain, while wondering what has been the role of state and local governments in the youth affairs over the years, said he was resolved to inaugurate a youth centre commencing with Ijero for the purpose of personally mentoring Ekiti youths towards excellence in their chosen careers, adding that his goal was to replicate this project in all the local government areas in the state.

According to him, The Ijero Youth Centre will commence as soon as possible irrespective of whether or not he was voted as the next governor of Ekiti State, come July this year.

“I am relocating home primarily to actualize this vision of empowering the future of our nation. There are lots of untapped potentials in our youths; great talents left to waste in poverty,” he said.

Speaking further, the PDP governorship aspirant said this realization had changed his perspectives to make him resolve to lead the process of ensuring that such ugly trend of neglect was reversed, vowing that he was resolved to die a happy man leaving a legacy that no Ekiti youth played football barefooted again.

The PDP chieftain said he would do this by putting in place Youth Centers in all LGAs where sports, entertainment, entrepreneurial and vocational skills are discovered, mentored and exported, pointing out that such legacy was even worth more than the governorship post to him.

“This realization has changed my perspectives and I have resolved to lead the process of ensuring that this ugly trend of neglect is reversed. I will die a happy man leaving a legacy that no Ekiti youth plays football barefooted again. A legacy of Youth centers in all LGAs where sports, entertainment, entrepreneurial and vocational skills are discovered, mentored and exported is worth more than the governorship to me. Nothing will give me joy more than seeing Ekiti youths becoming celebrities in their chosen careers.