From Victor Akinkuolie, Ado-Ekiti
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The Bishop of the Diocese of Ekiti, Church of Nigeria, (Anglican Communion), Rt. Rev. Christopher Omotunde, has expressed regret over the retrogression of Ekiti State under former Governor Ayo Fayose.
Omotunde described the tenure of Fayose as “four wasted years in which life became unbearable for the people and in which hunger ravaged the land without any concrete effort to alleviate people’s poverty.”
According to him, “the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had a golden chance to make a difference in the lives of Ekiti residents, but abused the opportunity to the extent that the people became slaves under them.”
The clergyman warned the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration to learn from the mistakes of the immediate past government and never disappoint the teeming masses looking up to it for good governance and redemption.
Omotunde stated these in his sermon on Sunday during a thanksgiving service held in honour of the new Deputy Governor, Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi, at the Emmanuel Anglican Cathedral, Okesa, Ado-Ekiti.
The bishop said Fayose’s unrelenting criticisms and opposition to President Muhammadu Buhari denied Ekiti of many benefits while other PDP governors succeeded in attracting projects to their states and got financial support from the Federal Government because of their good relationship with the President.
The bishop, who described himself as “a father of all politicians” because all members of his church are in all political parties, said he was duty bound to speak the truth when the need arises.
Omotunde said God has given Governor Kayode Fayemi another chance to make the difference in the lives of Ekiti people and must not fail to do that because “the expectations are very high.”
He advised Fayemi to choose people who will be faithful in translating his dreams for the development of the state into reality and not those who will be advancing their personal and selfish interests.
While likening Fayemi to the biblical Nehemiah, Omotunde said the President had so much trust in the governor (Fayemi) by releasing him from the federal cabinet to come and rebuild Ekiti allegedly damaged by bad governance.
Omotunde said now that Fayemi’s party, APC, is in power at the federal level unlike what obtained during his first tenure, the Federal Government must grant all the requests of the governor to rebuild Ekiti and assist the state financially for its people to be relieved.
Omotunde said: “This our God is a God of another chance, he gave PDP another chance also, but unfortunately, they abused the chance to the extent that people became slaves under them, they rendered everybody hopeless under them.
“They bewitched everybody that our eyes were closed, they bewitched us that we called evil good and the few that their power of bewitchment had no effect upon prayed and God looked down from heaven and visited this state again opening another door for Fayemi’s government.
