Fayose at birthday celebration with physically challenged: I want to leave Ekiti better than I met it

Ekiti State governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has said the greatest birthday gift he wants the people of the state to give him is total support, for him to do more for the state.

Speaking in Ado-Ekiti, on Tuesday, at a thanksgiving service to mark his 56th birthday, the governor said he needed the support for him to leave the state better than he met it.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, he quoted the governor as saying that he had good intentions to take the state to an enviable height.

“The greatest birthday gift I want from people is their unflinching support so that I can leave this state better than I met it. I have good intentions, like the Bible says, that are targeted at giving Ekiti an expected end. Intentions to have a better university, College of Education and state of the art facilities for our health institutions.

“I have spent two years and I can still do more. It is not me, but Christ that gives me strength. I won’t shirk in doing my responsibilities. You have committed yourselves to me in the last two years and you must not stop.

“I don’t expect everybody to be loyal to me. Thinking along that line would mean fooling myself but I want you to be loyal to Ekiti and her cause. I am wiser than before. My assignment is to serve you and not to misuse the opportunity to write my name in gold.

“When going, I won’t go with all those things God has used me to do in the state. I know that by the time I leave, you will be pleased with what I would have done,” he said.

The governor also enjoined the people to support his drive for a cleaner Ekiti State, saying the administration would initiate and enforce serious environmental policies as from next year.

In another development, Governor Fayose has urged security officers to discharge their duties without fear or favour.

He spoke at a dinner organised for the outgoing Commissioner of Police, Ekiti State Command, Mr Etop John James, at the Government House, Ado-Ekiti, on Monday.

The governor, who commended James for discharging his duties professionally, said he never asked the CP or any security agent to help intimidate anybody for any reason.

Fayose described CP James as a thorough professional who did not place needless emphasis on money or other pecuniary gain.

CP James, who said he arrive the state at a time of serious political crisis, said Fayose enjoyed the support of the people which made policing easy for him and his men.

“A number of times when we needed to resolve knotty security issues, the support of the governor was always handy. He enjoys the support of the people of the state. He has never asked us to do any dirty job for him,” he said.

James also thanked leaders of sister security agencies for their support and cooperation.

Meanwhile, Governor Fayose, on Tuesday, celebrated his 56th birthday with persons with disability in the state and announced that all persons with one disability or the other, especially the literate ones, would henceforth enjoy attention of government.

Fayose, who made the announcement at an event to mark the anniversary of his birthday, held at the Government House in Ado Ekiti, said he deliberately chose to mark the day with people with disability from the 16 local government areas in the state.