Home

About Ekiti

Ministries

Exco Members

Governor

FFTF

Feedback

Contact US

“POLYTECHNIC EDUCATION IN NIGERIA: SELF RELIANCE AND THE PROBLEMS OF UNEMPLOYMENT” – Being a speech delivered by His Excellency, Dr. Peter Ayodele Fayose, Governor of Ekiti State, Nigeria while accepting the Honourary Fellowship of the Polytechnic, Ibadan (Hon. FPI) on Friday 02 December, 2005.

            Also, while receiving the faculty of science distinguished Alumnus award in April, I gave three reasons for speaking on the future of our youth. I explained that the youth preponderate the population in Nigeria. I also expressed my personal experience as a youth who grew in Nigeria and postulated that the Nigeria Youth constituted a major group upon which the collective destiny of our country squarely rests. I have chosen to continue this discourse by situating the concept of self-reliance and the problems of unemployment, which I believe are two major challenges confronting Nigerian Youths of today, within the rudiment of Polytechnic education in Nigeria.

What is Polytechnic Education in Nigeria

            As we all know, the Polytechnic is one of the tripod stands upon which higher education rest in Nigeria – the other two being the University and the College of Education. The Polytechnics in Nigeria had evolved from what used to be Colleges of Technology.

            In Nigeria, the different levels of government have adopted education as an instrument, par excellence, for effecting national development. Higher education is one of the items specifically listed in part II of the second schedule of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999. In effect, both the Federal and State Governments have coordinate jurisdiction on the subject matter.

            Further to this, Section 5 of the National Policy on education (revised) 1981 States that Higher Education should aim at:

(a)                the acquisition, development and inculcation of the proper value-orientation for the survival of the individual and society;

(b)               the development of the intellectual capacities of individuals to understand and appreciate their environments;

(c)                the acquisition of both physical and intellectual skills which will enable individuals to develop into useful members of the community;

(d)               the acquisition of an objective view of the local and external environments.

            Furthermore, Section 6 of the said National Policy on Education, listed the Polytechnics as one of the five types of technical education institutions outside the Universities which offer technical education. It further defined technical education as “that aspect of education which leads to the acquisition of practical and applied skills as well as basic scientific knowledge”.

Evolution of Polytechnic Education in Nigeria

            Nigeria’s first institution of higher learning was the Higher College, Yaba, which the colonial Government opened in 1930, although it began operations in 1934 to offer disciplines like medicine, engineering, agriculture and teacher training at sub-degree levels. Later in 1952, the Nigeria College of Arts, Science and Technology was established with branches in Ibadan here, Zaria and Enugu to provide diploma courses in Accountancy, surveying, Architecture, Estate Management, Pharmacy, Secretaryship and Teachers Certificate. Technical Institutes were later established at Enugu and Kaduna (1958), Ibadan (1960) and Auchi (1964) which were later upgraded to Colleges of Technology in mid-1960s following the demands for intermediate and higher technical personnel. The numbers of these institutions rose from 9 in 1975 to 27 in 1985. These Colleges metamorphosed into Polytechnics in 1987 as a result of the decision of the Federal Government to streamline the nomenclature of technical institutions. As at today, there are about 48 polytechnics in Nigeria.

            According to Prof. Olu Odeyemi (2002), Polytechnic education was conceived by the French and perfected by the English and the Russians to be a system based on work and training and aimed at discouraging elitism and geared towards the practical preparation of its recipients to fulfill prescribed norms of the economy which the traditional academic institutions do not address.

            It is however unsavoury that in spite of the relatively high numbers of Polytechnics and Universities of Technology in Nigeria, the nation still faces the stark realities of an abysmally low technology base. The effects of poor technology manifest in all fronts ranging from poor economy to inability to properly maintain facilities inherited from colonial masters. Other important sectors adversely affected include agriculture, utilities such as water and electricity supply, waste management, transportation, building and construction, infrastructure such as road, industrialization, employment etc

Self Reliance

            I want to explain self reliance from the perspective of the measure or capacity that an individual or entity possesses in interrelationships. In other words an individual or an entity is self reliant to the extent of his potentials, capacity and ability in any relationship. For instance, why do Nigerian Youths seek opportunities for higher education? The simple answer is that they do so for capacity building with a view to availing themselves with skills and knowhow to enable them contribute to national development on one hand and to be able to offer services in exchange for livelihood on the other.

            As stated already, the mandate of Polytechnic education in Nigeria is to provide training for professionals with great attention devoted to practical and manipulative skills. Nigeria Polytechnics were expected to play complimentary roles with the Universities and other tertiary institutions in producing qualitative and quantitative technological manpower required for the development of the country. It is generally agreed that the level of development of any nation was measured by economic potentials and the science and technological orientation of that country.

            I argue that the polytechnic system in Nigeria have not been able to carry out this important role in national development for a number of reasons starting with the faulty foundation laid for technological education in Nigeria by the Colonial masters who designed technical education to produce assistants who were to relieve them of menial tasks.

            Other problems facing polytechnic education in Nigeria and which have hampered self reliance include:

a          Poor funding and its viral effects. For instance, out of the 48 polytechnics in the country, only about 10 have accreditation to run Mechanical Engineering Programmes. How then do we train enough people to fabricate materials for about 150 million people.

b          Disproportionate political will to develop science and technology

c          Non-patronage of inventions and local fabrications of Nigerian Polytechnics and Universities to enhance mass production.

d          Unrestricted importation of goods and implements that can be manufactured locally thus killing local initiative before the advent of the present government.

e          Poor linkage and interaction between Polytechnics and industries.

f           Limited number of industries for student industrial training

g          Wasted years and fruitless efforts in search of technology transfer instead of conscious efforts towards evolution of technologies appropriate to our local needs and circumstances.

h          Lack of job opportunities in technical fields and low wages of technical graduates compared with their colleagues in non-technical fields.

The Polytechnic/University graduate dichotomy

I have chosen to digress a little on this area in view of its emerging trend which had provoked reactions and counter reaction till date and its capacity for adversely affecting the development of polytechnic education in our country.  The registrar, Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), professor Bello Salim, recently raised an alarm over the declining patronage of technological and teachers education by Nigerian youths. His outcry came after noticing a sharp drop in the number of candidates seeking admission to the country’s monotechnics, polytechnics and colleges of education. According to him, while a total of 215,000 candidates sat for the monotechnic, polytechnic and colleges of education examinations in 2004, only about 150,000 sat for the same examinations on August 20, 2005, indicating a clear 30.24 percent decline. This development, certainly, is a signal that the nation’s quest for technological advancement driven by its human capital is headed for jeopardy. With this shunning of technology based education by the nation’s youths, the much claimed false steps in our road map to self reliance may be aggravated by the resultant dearth of professionals in the fields of science and technology.

Conversely, there has been an upward swing in the number of candidates seeking admissions to Nigerian universities lately. Though there is an increase in the capacity of the nation’s universities to admit more students due to the emergence of private universities, students that are eventually offered  admission are still very few. The number is insignificant, considering the army of qualified candidates seeking admission.  Nigerian youths, it would appear, prefer the university to technological and teachers’ education. Thus, we have a situation whereby excess capacity for admission, as it were, exists in monotechnics, polytechnics and colleges of education while the Nigerian Universities are unable to cope with the huge demand for admission by the students. The nation is thus unwittingly building a pool of youths who could not secure admission to the universities and at the same time unwilling to develop a career in the technological profession. When this pool is added to the army of unemployed graduates, the possible economic and social consequences present a grim picture.  The questions that should be asked is, why would Nigerian youths prefer universities to monotechnics and polytechnics? Why would these youths choose to stay at home when they knew that the universities would not take them all in one fell swoop and that they could easily have been admitted by the polytechnics and colleges of education? One of the factors – and a very important one – identified as a possible cause of this problem is discrimination. In Nigeria, academic qualification at the tertiary level not obtained in the Universities is regarded as second rate. The society, as well as employers of labour, manifests this negative perception in terms of career advancement, remuneration and recognition it gives to graduates of higher institutions other than the Universities. In most organizations – and work environment – graduates of universities and polytechnics or monotechnics are usually never rated equally. The entry point for a university graduate usually is higher than that of his counterparts from other tertiary institutions. Even in a few cases where the entry level may be the same, the height both graduate could reach within the same organisation are never the same. While, all things being equal, a university graduate could aspire to any level in structured work environment, a polytechnic graduate has a definite limitation imposed on his career progression irrespective of performance.

What goes on by way of admission to some polytechnics in the country today leaves much to be desired. Some of these institutions are unable to attract quality candidates. Many students who do not possess the required number of passed subjects are given admission. Under various guises and questionable programmes, candidates with one or two credits are admitted and with the caveat that they pass the required subjects before graduation. In most cases, many of these students do not make up the grades, even after the diploma programme. Thus there are cases whereby students who had sat for and passed their exams for the award of Ordinary National Diploma (OND) were not awarded, because they did not meet the basic admission requirements!

Similarly, many holders of Ordinary National Diploma could not proceed to Higher National Diploma programe for the same reason given above. Therefore, out there is an army of NCE and OND holders who, ordinarily, should still be writing the school certificate examinations. Such is the sordid admission arrangement in some of the polytechnics that serious candidates do not want to be associated with education at that level. The Polytechnics are more or less seen as a dumping ground for those who could not make the required grades for admission to the university. This should not be so.

In a society where much value is placed on paper qualifications, both in terms of recognition and rewards, it should not, therefore, be a surprise that every young Nigerian Secondary School leaver aspires to go to a university. A few wrongs must be corrected urgently, if the current disinterest of young Nigerians in technological and teachers’ education is to be reversed. The regime of discrimination between holders of HND and degree should give way to that which treats holders of the two certificates equally in practical terms. This pre-supposes that the standard in the polytechnics and monotechnics must be raised in terms of admission requirements and contents. Unequal requirements for admission and workload differential for candidates of both institutions were the seeds that germinated into the social and economic discrimination of graduates of the University and Polytechnic. To pretend that the two certificates are equal and to expect equal recognition for them by employers of labour without parity in the aforementioned areas would be a delusion.

There is the need to re-think our education system, both in focus and objectives. Currently, all the nation’s tertiary institutions seem to be preparing their students for salaried employment upon graduation. The technological education that should emphasise what the beneficiaries could do with their hands and brains has failed to achieve that objective. The attainment of the objective of  constructive education, which is what using one’s brains and hands typifies, is not by any means helped by over-reliance on paper qualifications by the employers of labour and the society at large. Yet with the increasing pace of the economic reforms going on and the envisaged private sector domination, the time is gradually coming when what you have and can do would determine what you get.

The Problems of Unemployment

On its face value, unemployment may appear to pre-suppose lack of job to do. Sure, it is more. In our country today, there are graduates of engineering who having failed in securing jobs in the area of construction have taking to buying and selling of timber. Graduates of Science technology are out there  reporting  for media houses. To my mind, these are variants of unemployment. Gainful employment, as far as I am concerned, is the ability of an individual to develop his potentials and training to serve or provide useful service to the larger society and also earn proportionate means of livelihood by so doing.

            The technological backwardness of Nigeria after 45 years of political independence has made our youths virtually slaves in their own country to all sorts of employers particularly foreign powers and multi-nationals who manipulate and control the economy. Our country lacks technology for most basic things including food production, housing and even clothing. We are incapable of sustainable management of our enormous infrastructural facilities such as electricity, roads, water supply, fertilizer factories, oil refineries etc.

Nigeria appear to be contended with merely exporting raw goods as it is unable to manufacture finished products of international quality. We are unable to apply agriculturally relevant technologies for mass production, processing and preservation of food. Hence we can’t achieve food security thus resulting to food importation instead of exportation. We are incapable of cancelling the annual 40 percent loss of total farm harvests to pests and diseases. We are unable to generate jobs for about 10 million unemployed graduates as the traditional employers of labour i.e the civil service and the restricted private sector are already saturated. Unfortunately, the largest generator of employment worldwide i.e science engineering and technology have been dormant in Nigeria.

We are incapable of stabilizing the country and its currency through a vibrant economy and gainful employment of the youths, instead we are breeding ethnic militias in form of OPC, AFC, Egbesu Boys, Bakassi Boys, Area Boys and Prostituting girls etc. Nigeria is being run on an unsustainable basis as we depend only on oil revenue which is a non-renewable resource and which may be susceptible to an unexpected calamity. Thus 150 million people are living from hand-to-mouth on a daily basis! This is a pity! We lack the essential technologies for diversifying the economy.

Nigerians are living parasitically on the nations peasant farmers who toil to produce foodstuffs at a colossal loss due to their illiteracy and inability to cost their input-output values. Inability to control the technology of various facets of the oil economy which is dominated by foreigners. Inability to create huge wealth out of our metallic fuels such as bitumen, uranium, coal, lignite and peat and our metallic minerals such as gold, tin, led, zinc, iron, tantalite, columbite, gemstones and industrial minerals such as sodium carbonate, sulphate, nitrates, phosphates etc.  Inability to develop a uranium-based nuclear power plant for electricity  generation and other peaceful uses. After 45 years of independence we can only import vehicles since we can’t make a motor engine and we are the largest importers of electric generators and pharmaceuticals drugs in the world.

The way forward

The late American President, Mr. J. F. Kennedy once posited that “the wealth of a nation resides in its farms and industries and those who man them”.  The Polytechnic system in Nigeria has a critical responsibility in the gargantuan task of moving our country forward..The Polytechnics should spearhead the exploitation of science and technology to transform our abundant resources into goods and services. Polytechnics must produce professional manpower in selected or specialized disciplines as dictated by local needs and the needs of the national economy. There must be a complete overhaul of the present polytechnic syllabuses and curriculums to make them very dynamic and address local and national technological priorities.

A totally new array of courses and programmes should be introduced into the polytechnics to complement the present curricula. Such courses should not only have bearing and adaptation to our peculiarities and national needs but should be of merchantable value to the world particularly the African continent.  Courses such as Water resources managements, Waste disposal management, Forest resources management, Solid minerals prospecting, Fertilizer production, Steel technology, Fruit juice extraction and Canning/Bottling, Coffee/Cocoa/Cotton/Palm oil processing technologies, Leather processing and Tannery, Transportation technology, Shipping and maritime services, Aviation technology, Maintenance engineering, Paint technology, Tourism, Auto-mechanics and Fuel injection technology, Climate change, Renewable energy technologies, Space technology, Information and telecommunication technology and Electroplating  are suggested for consideration by Polytechnic authorities.

Polytechnics should have a complete understanding of the basic operational procedures of all contiguous industries with a view to refocusing the practical classes to the area of need and relevance to the industries for mutual advantage. The Federal Ministry of Science and Technology’s Business Incubation Centre should be extended to polytechnic students for training in self-employment. Affiliations should be established with Foreign Polytechnics and Universities of Technology with the aim of exchanging specialists for teaching, research and curriculum development.

            Inadequate funding has been the bane of polytechnic education. The Federal Government in 1979 discontinued the marching grant to state polytechnics and removed all classes of subsidies, especially on students’ feeding. As a result, many of the schools could not equip their laboratories and workshops to the required standard. They have resorted to offering non-capital intensive courses in management to beef up their enrolment”. According to the lecturers, polytechnics set up outreach centers and part-time annexes to make money, which negates the principles of polytechnic education. We should have a second look at this.

            Similarly, it is in the polytechnics that most of the adaptive researches, relevant to national aspirations for development were being carried out.     Consequently, the discrimination against polytechnic graduates should be decried. Over 75 percent of polytechnic lecturers are university graduates and are designated as lecturers, having the career path of becoming Chief Lecturer, Head of School, and Rector. Polytechnic graduates are called instructors and cannot attain any of these positions except they get additional University degree. This discrimination, is now more prevalent in the larger society where some government agencies and private companies have refused to employ polytechnic graduates.

            I suggest a total overhaul of the polytechnic education system where the stakeholders, polytechnic administrators, staff and students are re-oriented towards achieving the desired goal of national development. The polytechnics and colleges of technology should be encouraged to develop to the highest level of educational sophistication, whereby they can award Bachelor of Technology (B. Tech.) degree and offer post-graduate programmes in different disciplines. This, would put value to the polytechnic education and bridge the gap between HND and B.Sc. holders.

            Polytechnic lecturers should broaden their knowledge by attending conferences, workshops and seminars relevant to their profession. The curriculum should be fashioned to take cognizance of their peculiarities and manpower requirement of the nation so as to develop adequate techniques for the improvement of the standard and quality of life of Nigerians.

            Furthermore, polytechnic alumni should be more sensitive and work tirelessly for the development of their Alma-mata by giving support to the policies that would move polytechnic education to greater heights. The polytechnics over the years had produced graduates who had occupied important positions in government and key industries in the country. Most of them who attended the University for degree programme after the National Diploma always ranked among the best. The discrimination had led to a drastic reduction in the number of students who pursue Higher National Diploma programme. The government and all stakeholders should make efforts at reversing the misconception about the polytechnic. 

Conclusion    Today, the world which we find ourself in is on a fast lane. There is advancement in science and technology each passing day. Nigeria cannot afford to be left behind on the technology super highway as this is crucial to our quest for self reliance and provision of gainful employment for the youths. For Nigeria to wake up and keep pace with the rest of the world, in this era of information technology, there is the need to come up with a new structure that will strategically place the Polytechnic system on a sound pedestal that will enhance capacity building, ensure the full realization of individual’s potentials and enhance the ability of the nation to get the manpower it needs in the right quality and number, for rapid industrial and economic development.

 Once again, I thank the Chairman Governing Council, the Rector and the authorities of the Federal Polytechnic for this prestigious award. I also thank this audience for listening to me.

 In his address at the occasion, the Honourable Commissioner for Health Dr. Sola Babalola reiterated the commitment of the Fayose administration to a medium term Health Sector Reform Programme that would improve the health status of the citizenry.

(1)  Supporting formulation and documentation of Ekiti State Health Policy and the integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses.

 AN ADDRESS READ BY THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF EKITI STATE, DR. PETER AYODELE FAYOSE, ON THE OCCASION OF THE COMMISSIONING OF AMBULANCES, HOSPITAL EQUIPMENTS, INSTRUMENTS AND MEDICAL LABORATORY REAGENTS, HELD AT THE PREMISES OF THE STATE FRIDAY 14^TH JANUARY, 2005.

Today’s activities are to once more demonstrate the Government’s determined pursuit of the provision of quality health care services to the people’s door steps. At its inception, this Government resolved to make the provision of qualitative, affordable and accessible health services as one of its cardinal objectives. We have not deviated from this. To this end a Unified Drug Revolving Fund Scheme has been established to provide affordable essential drugs in our health institutions. An Outreach Health Rangers Scheme, initiated by this Government, is currently exhibiting lots  of positive impacts on the health of the citizenry in the hard-to-reach rural areas of the State; The ere glass festival (Dingi Oju Ayo) of this Government has benefited thousands of our people with bad eye sights.

There are lots of health related activities and programmes being pursued to stem the rising cases of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and malaria diseases, Our hospitals are receiving lots of renovations, and infrastructure to improve their standards. The welfare of all cadres of health workers is being given priority attention to enhance their performances and productivity as well boost their morale.

The ambulances are to be distributed to the following LGAs:- Efon, Emure, Ekiti East, Moba, Ilejemeje, Irepodun/Ifelodun and Gbonyin.  This will ensure that every LGA in the State now has an ambulance. It will allow prompt referrals of patients from primary tier to secondary and tertiary levels of health care within and outside the State.  The ambulances are to be used strictly for the care of patients as agreed in the memorandum of understanding already signed by each benefiting LGA.

Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Ayodele Fayose had been honoured as the Most Innovative Governor of the year 2004.  A group of Journalists known as the Positive Orientation Agency presented the distinguished award to Dr. Fayose at Akure, the Ondo State capital during the Governor's interactive meeting and dinner with the Ekiti indigenes resident in Ondo State on Monday 24th January, 2005.  The Positive Orientation Agency published a magazine, titled “Great Mind” in order to chronicle some of the great achievements of the Governor while a Trophy was also presented to him in appreciation of his efforts for championing the cause of the masses.  Notable people, indigenes and non-indigenes of Ekiti, spoke on the development being witnessed in Ekiti State under the Fayose administration.

Chief Oluyemisi Falae, a former Presidential candidate from Ondo State stated that Governor Ayodele Fayose was crazy about developing Ekiti State and solicited the support of all and sundry to make his laudable programmes a more resounding success. Noting the on-going political re-alignment, Chief Falae who affirmed great administration for Governor Fayose expressed optimism that Fayose and he would belong to same political party, other than the PDP, in the nearest future.

He charged the political elites to work together, advising that successive political office holders should consolidate on the foundation laid by their predecessors in office rather than obliterating their achievements.

In his remarks, Chief Kolawole Babalola who acknowledged the humility and hardworking  of Governor Fayose recalled that Ekiti people had suffered for too long in the past and urged all and sundry to support Governor Fayose in his bid to develop the State.

A renowned Professor of Economics and Chairman, National Economic Intelligence Committee, Prof. Sam Aluko said he was impressed by the frankness, humility and dedication to work of Governor Fayose, adding the he is utmost best for Ekiti State.

Prof. Aluko commended Dr. Fayose for reviving the Egbe Dam among other social infrastructures in the State and urged him not to worry about criticisms of his administration.  He advised Local Government Chairmen to evolved development plans for their areas and charged Governor Fayose to energize them in order to achieve the development plan.

Prof. (Mrs) Omotayo Olutoye noted that Ekiti people appreciated the dignity of labour and described Governor Fayose as a good ambassador of the State for embarking on laudable developmental projects.

The Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), Prof. Adeniyi commended the policy of the Fayose administration to strengthen the existing infrastructures in the tertiary institutions in the State rather than creating new institutions and commended the interactive meeting, saying it was of immense benefit to the citizenry. 

Dignitaries at the occasion included wives of the Governor and the Deputy Governor; members of the State Executive council; the SSG, Head of Service; top Government functionaries; Traditional Rulers; religious leaders including Bishop Francis Alonge and Michael Ipinmoye of the Catholic and Anglican churches respectively.

Others include politicians, Academicians businessmen, students representatives and people from all walks of life.

FAYOSE'S YULETIDE MESSAGE TO EKITI PEOPLE ON 1^ST JANUARY, 2005

Good people of Ekiti State

I greet you all in the name of the Almighty God the giver of life and peace. I join you in rendering praise to the Lord for making it possible for us all to witness a New Year in spite of the challenges of last year. I congratulate you all in the mood of this season and wish you many happy returns.

I salute Yours Royal Highnesses and Chiefs, Community leaders, members of interest groups, the public service and the organized private sector on this festive occasion. I also greet the leadership of all political parties particularly our great party; The People Democratic Party at all levels.

I am indeed specially indebted to the good people of Ekiti State for the unalloyed cooperation that I received from all and sundry last year. Your unwavering support facilitated an enabling environment for the various programmes of socio-economic transformation that my administration was able to execute during 2004 and for those that are still on going. I urge you to sustain the peaceful atmosphere that pervades the entire length and breadth of our state to further enable the government to steadily complete all on-going projects and embark on new ones across the state.

I like to assure you our good people that government is not unaware of the inconveniences engendered by its reform policies across the three tiers of government in 2004. The fact however remains that the several socio-political and economic afflictions which confront our country had become chronic ailments that require radical therapies. These are the objectives of the various reform programs that are fast taking roots. Some are about completing their gestation periods. I urge you all to remain resilient in the new year as the dividends of these past years of sacrifices unfold before us all.

Furthermore, in Ekiti State, my administration is not unaware of complaints and allegations in some quarters about the concentration of our developmental efforts in Ad-Ekiti, the state capital. This allegation does not contain absolute truth. I will only urge our people and communities to be more vigilant and look around them more perceptibly and with more discernment. While it is indisputable that Ado-Ekiti as a state capital deserves special attention, the truth is that our developmental programmes cut across the state. A few examples include the water projects in Efon and Ikere as well as road projects in Otun-Erinmope-Kwara border, Ilupeju-Ire, Ilumoba-Ise, Ikere-Ise-Emure and Ikere-Igbaraodo. All the same, we shall pursue our rural transformation programmes with more vigour in the new year as I assure you that no area of the state shall be neglected by this administration.

At this juncture, I like to restate the resolute commitment of this administration to impacting positively on the life of the ordinary Ekiti man. We shall not be distracted for once by the antics of detractors and their distracting tendencies. While discipline, probity, diligence and loyalty are expected from those engaged in active participation in the day-to-day affairs of the Government, my Government expects also from every citizen of Ekiti State, be he a farmer, artisan, trader, business operators or professionals, the same moral attributes. Government this year, more than before, will be imbued with positive ideas and ideal to serve the people of the state to the best of its ability, there will be no time, place or room for sycophancy, slovenliness, laziness and disloyalty in any shape or form. Whatever action my Government takes on any matter will tend to be the happiness of the people of Ekiti State.

Once again, I greet our Kabiyesis and I hope they would continue to play the traditional role of fathers of their different communities. I am convinced that it is in such a role that they and their subjects can enjoy peace and prosperity. My Government will continue to accord them all the necessary dignity and honour which their statuses demand.

Finally, I like to thank our brothers and sisters who reside outside the geographical boundary of Ekiti State for their demonstration of love and support for my administration. During the previous year, I initiated a programme of interaction through which I embarked on interactive sessions with our people outside Ekiti State. The outcome of the efforts are quite rewarding and encouraging.