GOVERNOR Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, on Monday, at the opening of a meeting of governors of the South West region, suggested steps he said the South West geo-political zone must take so as to be taken serious by other regions of the country.
Fayose, who thanked the governors for allowing him to host the meeting “not minding that the last meeting was my first attendance,” said among other things, the South West should have a common education curriculum, saying “in the area of education, it is time for us to have a common curriculum.”
On this, Fayose said “what is done in Lagos should also be what is done in Ekiti and other states of the region.”
He added that “also, we must ensure cooperation among our security chiefs, such that if a car is stolen anywhere in the region, it will be found before being taken out of the region.”
He noted that “this task may appear enormous, but if we are determined and speak with one voice, as a people, it is achievable.”
He said these were imperative if other regions of the country and the Federal Government would take the South West serious, saying “the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) must take steps to ensure that issues discussed were not left at the level of just talk.
He said: “This gathering must however not be about talk, talk and talk all the time. There must be affirmative actions; else, we will lose the confidence reposed in us by our people. We must take decisions on what to do that will make the difference in the lives of our people in the immediate.”
He said the issue of $1billion Euro the Federal Government was seeking was another “germane issue” the DAWN must look into.
“I will want us to look into is the Federal Government’s $1billion Eurobond, re-payment of which is to be made from source (before accruing to the federation account) and expected to last till 2032.
“As representatives of the people of the South West, whose future will be affected by this $1billion Eurobond, I expect that we look beyond party politics and ask questions as to the beneficiaries of the bond, its repayment and what the South West will benefit from it.
“We must therefore constantly engage our representatives in the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and the National Assembly and impress it upon them that they must use their positions positively for the zone.”
Governors Akinwumi Ambode of Lagos; Rauf Aregbesola of Osun; Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo; Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo were at the meeting while Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ògùn State was represented by his deputy, Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga.