… As governor celebrates teachers for coming tops in NECO again
Traditional rulers and the teachers in Ekiti State yesterday endorsed the deputy governor of Ekiti State as the next govenor of the state, saying they were sure he would continue the legacy of Governor Ayodele Fayose which has led to at the state’s repeat of coming tops in the recent National Examination Council exams by a margin of 85 percent.
This was just as the state’s council of traditional rulers, through their chairman, Oba Micheal Ademolaju, the Oloye of Oye-Ekiti, yesterda indicated their support for the choice of Olusola Kolapo, deputy governor of the state as prefered candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for forthcoming 2018 election.
Fayose, while speaking with teachers and education stakeholders across the state during a meeting he had with them at the Government House in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, said to the teachers “You are wonderful, committed, serious and forward looking teachers, you are number one in Nigeria you have demonstrated this with your outstanding performance. I wish I had money. I would have bought cars for all teachers. You are doing the job, the glory comes to me. Any idiot can build infrastructure, not many leaders can painstakingly build education. It is like Vaccine that lives with one forever. I have told federal government and all, if you fail to put teachers on the divers, you can’t go far in developing our education. There is no education without teachers. I want to appeal to all stakeholders in Nigeria, let’s put teachers on the drivers’ seat.
“In and out of office I will continue to encourage you teachers. History would be on my side, that I have given education by my commitment, they said I have no education, but I have given education. We are celebrating education success.”
While commending the governor and all education stakeholders in the state for success in NECO, Chairman of the Council of Obas, Ekiti, Oba Ademolaju said: “teachers in Ekiti are married to the governor. This is why they are doing great. We thank governor and we are expecting greater performance next year. You have decided to hand over to somebody who is capable of sustaining the legacy.”
The monarch said he believes that as a professor who has been on the driver seat of education in the state will equally sustain this achievement when he gets to office.
Speaking about the choice of his deputy, Fayose said: “This young man hasn’t offended me any day. I can not becuase of politics deprive you of this wonderful gift. I am an HND holder but this is a professor. I am more concerned about Ekiti. I will work till he would take over. Stand up for your future. We are battling with debts. They left here, you are suffering for what you don’t know.
“I urge you to support him. He needs your prayers, if I am to make my own choice, he may not be the one. But I waited on God and he chose this man. When the time comes, you will know that Kolapo can do more than Fayose.”
Ekiti State chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC), Ade Adesanmi, said: “we reminded you that you have come with magic wand, I also remarked that you have put in some landmarks that would be difficult to outweigh at the exit of this government. We believe you have put in place structures that would sustain them. This is indeed one of the landmarks. It is courtesy of the supervision and monitoring of deputy governor.
The outcome of your efforts have come to be an example in Nigeria. You are a promise keeper, we believe salaries may be outstanding now, we believe the good lord will assist you to cancel these debts. I urge you to replicate this achievement in agriculture sector.’
Also speaking, the chairman of Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Samuel Olugbesan, who eulogised Fayose for supporting teachers to restoring the glory of education in thet state, said: “we appreciate you immensely and assure you of our absolute support for your government and its continuity in the choice of deputy governor Kolapo Olusola. We are encouraged by your great performance and we will vote for Olusola once he is chosen as your party’s candidate.”
