| INAUGURATION SPEECH OF HIS EXCELLENCY ENGR. SEGUN ONI, GOVERNOR OF EKITI STATE ON THE 29th MAY, 2007 AT OLUKAYODE STADIUM, ADO – EKITI Protocol The colourful swearing-in-ceremony we have just witnessed signals the commencement of a new era in Ekiti. Indeed this is the day that the Lord has made! I thank the almighty for sparing our lives to witness this day and for all his benevolence in the affairs of Ekiti since its creation 11 years ago. I stand before you as a living testimony of the Grace of God and the fact that God rules in the affairs of men. I also use this unique opportunity to thank the good people of our dear State who have made this occasion possible, by their overwhelming support for our party- the PDP which was demonstrated during the election days of 14th and 21st April 2007. Since my declaration as the popularly elected Governor of Ekiti, I have continued to receive messages of solidarity and congratulations from our traditional rulers. Various communities and leaders of virtually all segments of the society, both locally and internationally. The effusion of love and affection of the people have been palpable. My Deputy and I deeply appreciate your warm acceptance of this dispensation. It is therefore with humility and sense of reasonability that I accept the mandate to lead the affairs of Government in our State for the next four years. Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, the journey to this point in the life of Ekiti has been smooth sailing. At some point in the last few months. Ekiti State became a reference point for maladministration, confusion and constitutional crisis. All the cherished values for which Ekiti was known were thrown overboard .It was only by Divine Grace that the State was saved from the precipice, through the kind prompt intervention of his Excellency, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, our out going President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who had to invoke the constitutional provision of the declaration of State of Emergency in the State for six months. The episode, you will recall tasked all our collective and individual energies, resources and political calculations. Recently however, we arrived at a window of opportunity that returned the state to its normal democratic status, through the handing over of the reigns of government by then Administrator of Ekiti Brig. Gen. Adetunji Olurin (rtd) to the Acting Governor Rt. Hon. Tope Ademiluyi, who few minutes ago handed over power to my humble self. Agreeably, the imposition of a state of Emergency in any democratic setting is a bitter pill to swallow. However in our case, it brought our way a good man and an experienced administrator who was able to stabilize the polity. Under him Ekiti achieved an orderly and peaceful electioneering devoid of harassment and intimidation of political actors at every level. The relative peace achieved in the state during the last elections traceable to the effective and efficient leadership provided by Gen.Olurin, during his six-month tenure. On this note distinguished ladies and Gentlemen, we have to express our immense gratitude to our leader and mentor President Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR whose love for Ekiti State and political wisdom took us out of the doldrums, and who was kind to send our way Gen Olurin. Also on your behalf, I thank the former Administrator for his good work while he was here .We wish him well in his endeavours. In the same vein, we have thank the Acting Governor and the entire members of House of Assembly for holding forth the touch of gratitude for the hard work and responsible behaviour exhibited during this period.Having reached a momentous point in our democratic process was cannot but remember all those who had suffered one deprivation or another in the recent past .We particularly remember those who lost their lives on the account of their Political belief or activities. Ekiti will always remember them and this Administration will in on distant the immortalized them. THE WAY FORWARD I stand before you, to herald the beginning of new dawn in the governance of Ekiti. From today, Ekiti has begun the journey to rise above the challenges of the past to reclaim its lost ground in the delivery of competent governance the people. You will recall that during the period of the electioneering, we had the singular opportunity of visiting all the nooks and crannies of Ekiti and we kept touch with the real grass root. We bared our minds to the people on how we intended to bring Ekiti to the forefront as a model in State Administration. We exchanged, the indigenous and non-indigenous people. Indeed, nobody was left behind in the next four years, I hereby restate here again our commitment to provide good leadership and deliver on all our electoral promises, made during the campaigns.The challenges before our generation is to re-enact the educational miracle of our forefathers in 50s and 60s during which Ekiti was able to bridge the education gap of over a century between us and some of our neighbors. We must now move on to close the gap or even surpass these neighbors who are today at least half a century ahead of us in Commerce and Industry. As I stated during the inauguration of transition committees set up two weeks ago, to fashion our action plan, we are hurry to turn Ekiti to a brand of excellence in the way manner of delivery of government business. Our interaction with the existing State of affairs confirm our thinking that, we need a new orientation in the way Government business is conducted if we are not to continue to imperil our people. Therefore, this government will reorganize the way Governance is conducted. For the avoidance of doubt, Governance will from now on be performance driven, and people focused. For the public Service, which has the responsibility for policy formulation, and implementation. It is not going to be business as usual. Our Government will bring on board men and women who share our passion for development and who see governance as a call to serve the people. INTER-RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHERS At this junction, let me acknowledge that in our drive to bring good governance to the people of Ekiti, all arms of Government must work together. I take this opportunity to welcome on board all our new legislators, who have given the mandate to represent our people. While congratulating you on your success at the polls, I call on to you to join hands with me in our collective vision of making life better for our people. I do hope that the legislature will conduct its affairs in the best tradition passing laws and resolutions to back our reforms and programmes for the benefit of the people. Under this administration, I pledge to accord the judiciary the respect it deserves in delivering justice to our people. We will spearhead the process of reforming the judiciary to serve the ends of justice to the people since we need to rekindle our people’s confidence in the judiciary, to truly serve as the last hope of the common man. The report of the Transition Committee on the Administration of Justice composed of eminent jurists and legal minds will provide us a guide in our quest to transform the judiciary to a model for other States to copy. As promised in the acceptance speech when the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) declared me the winner of the April 14 polls, I intend to run an open and transparent administration. Our commitment to run an all- inclusive government also remains unshaken. We have taken the first step in meeting this commitment by including some members of the opposition parties in our Transition Committees. While we recognize that in a democracy, opposition parties are necessary to put the government in power on its toes so that the best interest of the people could be served, we intend to continue to reach out to them to join us in our march towards rebuilding our state. However, we expect our opposition parties to conduct their affairs with decorum and decency expected of democratic. After all, Ekiti belongs to all of us, and we should not do any act to hurt our people or derail the performance of Governance. I wish to at this juncture, thank our royal fathers, who have continued to play their role effectively as the custodian of our cultural heritage and values. This administration will restore the respect for traditional rulers and incorporate them into the communal security system, among other roles expected of them in a modern society. Conclusion Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I like to end this inauguration address by thanking you all once again for your presence today to witness the beginning of a new era in Ekiti State. I ask you to join us in fervent prayers to Almighty God to nurture and sustain this administration, so that it can deliver on its promises. Having gone through those pains of the past, the task of restoring Ekiti to its full potential may look daunting, but we trust God to give us the enablement to meet the high expectation of the people. I thank you for being part of the historic occasion. |
