A group of young professionals and artisans in Ekiti State, Ekiti Youth Vanguard, has tasked Governor Ayo Fayose to declare his assets in order to demonstrate openness, transparency and accountability.
In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Charles Fakunle, on Wednesday, the group challenged Fayose to emulate his predecessor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, by making a public declaration of his assets within his first month in office.
The EYV recalled that Fayemi deposed to the Assets Declaration Form for Public Officers at the registry of the State High Court, Ado-Ekiti, barely a month after assuming power.
“Fayemi is the first chief executive of the state to have made public his worth in cash and assets.
“It is high time we started holding our leaders accountable in this country that is ridden with corruption. So, if our governor could come out boldly to say ‘these are my assets and when I leave office, I will declare again and you will see that I have lived a straightforward life,’ that would be very encouraging,” the group said.
According to Fakunle, “Fayose had accused Fayemi of extravagance, in the light of this, we challenge the governor to make a public declaration of how little or how much he had acquired. Such a move by Fayose would not only reveal the true position of his assets, but also debunk rumors that he has acquired properties in Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan and Ado Ekiti.
“Declaration of asset at assumption of office and at leaving office is an essential tool for addressing corruption in public office.”
Meanwhile, Fayose has appointed Mr. Dipo Anisulowo as Chief of Staff, and Chief Bisi Kolawole as Special Assistant on Environment.
A press statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, on Wednesday said the appointments took immediate effect.
Meanwhile, the Governor has promised to overhaul facilities and provide the needed manpower at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, to make it a world-class.
Fayose, who decried the current state of facilities at the hospital in another statement by Adelusi, said he had been foretold of the problems by members of his Transition Committee before his inauguration.
He lamented that the hospital had only one functional ambulance to handle emergency cases.
“A situation whereby a teaching hospital has only one functional ambulance is uncalled for. What happens if there are more than one emergency case to handle at the same time?
“Also, the X-ray machine there has broken down. Patients have to go to private facilities to have x-ray photographs taken and that is a shame. The wards are also not fixed with fans.
“Patients are not treated in a comfortable atmosphere and we are not only going to ensure that the place is provided with the necessary facilities, we are going to provide the workers with the tools they need to work with and motivate them appropriately.
“Medical students there have nothing to fear. The Fayose administration, during the first term, started the process of establishing the College of Medicine and it is unfortunate that eight years after, the medical college is yet to be accredited.
“All efforts to get the College of Medicine run smoothly will be taken and done. Medical students in the hospital have nothing to fear. Our administration will not let them down.”
The governor advised the management of the hospital to also make judicious use of available resources.
