There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” -Soren Kierkegaard
Bi a ba se’ni lóore, ọpẹ la nda…
One value we hold very dearly in Ekiti is appreciativeness. Yes, a reasonable Ekiti son and daughter would not swallow gratitude. We love to express our appreciation unequivocally for goods done to us.
It is in this light that we see the need for any beneficiary of the ongoing Covid-19 Economic Stimulus to be thankful to the federal government and Ekiti State Government for walking their talk on the package. And they must begin to share their testimonies without holding back.
Surely, those who have yet to get theirs, peradventure they’ve applied for any of the packages, either dithered initially or are on the waiting list for the next disbursement. And they should be positive of getting it once they apply.
The package, it must be mentioned, is a privilege and not a right. Privilege, by its definition is not for all and sundry. It is given to some and withheld from others. Right on the other hand is an inherent, irrevocable entitlement of all citizens.
Good roads, water, light and all other amenities being put in place by the JKF administration is a right of all, but the Covid-19 financial benefit is not. Yet, just like other social welfare schemes domesticated in Ekiti, the JKF administration is not withholding the benefit from anyone.
Poverty is borderless after all, so also should whatever effort being put in place to cushion it. Everyone in Ekiti today is a potential beneficiary, in so far as they approach the Ekiti State Micro-Finance and Enterprise Development, MEDA, the agency helping with the facilitation.
As for the believability or transparency test, now that now that the money alert keeps sounding in various phones in the state indiscriminately, there is nothing to doubt about the sincerity of purpose of the CBN any longer, neither is there any proof of biasness by the Otunba Kayode Fasae-led MEDA, with the office of the Commissioner for Finance, where the seeming silence of Akin Oyebode is loud enough to show that Ekiti is on the go, overseeing the activities of the agency.
The Central Bank of Nigeria set out a number of measures to tackle the impact of the coronavirus, including establishing a fund to support the country’s economy (of 50 billion naira; i.e. EUR 121 million), targeted at households and micro and small enterprises.
When the scheme was first initiated, many doubting Thomases took it for a mere political puff, being bandied by Gov. Fayemi. Or how would a state, known for its poor financial standing, attract a reasonable share of such largesse? What is the payback method, many wondered. This perhaps resulted in many delaying their latching on it. But when the early birds who felt they had nothing to lose by trying started counting their blessings in thousands and millions, the Thomases also started coming up with the wailing-laden excuses and blackmails targeted, as usual, at Gov. Fayemi and then the MEDA DG. In their words, favouritism is being applied in the distribution. They turned their bli d eye to the fact that no one, excepts the benefactor CBN, decides who actually gets what and when.
When I posted a piece yesterday titled Ongoing Financial Empowerment in Ekiti…Soro Soke, one of the Thomases took me up, faulting such use of words like “largesse”, “unmerited favour” etc to describe the disbursement. In his words, since it is a loan, there is nothing special in what the Governor or the Finance Commissioner or even the MEDA is doing to facilitate it. Well, I am still expecting him to do something independently in attracting the same uncollateralized and unmoratoralised loan for his loved ones in like manner.
There are 16 Local Governments in Ekiti. Imagine millions getting disbursed to all the nooks and crannies of these local governments yet some people can’t see what is special in that. We challenge any critic to do a fact-check on them all and tell us which of the local governments the largesse has not reached as of now.
This is the standing today:
Ado-Ekiti ✔️
Ikere ✔️
Oye ✔️
Gbonyin ✔️
Efon ✔️
Ekiti East ✔️
Ekiti South-West ✔️
Ekiti West ✔️
Emure ✔️
Ido-Osi ✔️
Ijero ✔️
Ikole ✔️
Ilejemeje ✔️
Irepodun/Ifelodun ✔️
Ise/Orun ✔️
Moba ✔️
If this is not a dividend of democracy, then wailers, who are also beneficiaries or potential beneficiaries of the package, should tell us what it is.
We aint seeing nothing yet. This is one privilege reading like a right.
Democracy is working
Good governance is working
Fayemi is working
No oju isaju of any sort.
Eni ti o bá ta, lo nje
Awọn ọta o ri oogun é ṣe.
MEDA, é ku isẹ o.
🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏