Senator Babafemi Ojudu receives endorsement for Ekiti State governor from UK indigenes

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari's special adviser on political affairs Senator Babafemi Ojudu has taken his bid to become the next governor of Ekiti State to the UK addressing a gathering of keen diasporans at a weekend meeting in London.

On July 14 this year, Ekiti State will go to the polls to elect a new governor in what is expected to be a two-horse race between the ruling All progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) of incumbent Governor Ayo Fayose. No longer eligible to run, Governor Fayose and the PDP have adopted his deputy, Professor Kolapo Olusola, as their candidate in the pools.

Senator Ojudu is seeking the APC ticket and if he clinches it, the Ekiti electorate are set for a tight battle that has already been characterised by bitter exchanges between the senator and the governor. In the April 2011 election for the Ekiti Central Senatorial seat, Senator Ojudu polled 67,747 running on the Action Congress of Nigeria platform beating Governor Fayose who then stood as a candidate of the Labour Party and received 29,773 votes.

In a renewal of their rivalry, Senator Ojudu has already stepped up his campaign across the state, asking voters to end the four years of misery under Governor Fayose, which he described as embarrassing. It is believed that there are as many of 29 candidates vying for the APC ticket including the likes of former governor Segun Oni, Gbenga Aluko, Olufemi Bamisile, Opeyemi Bamidele and Bamidele Faparusi.

However, Senator Ojudu remains the frontrunner and has received the backing of many diaspora chapters of the APC and Ekiti community associations. Organised by the Ekiti Rebirth Organisation (Ero), the London event was attended by representatives of APC UK, with their chairman Dr Philip Ideawor present and the Central Association of Nigerians in the UK (Canuk), who was represented by their first vice chairman Ronke Udofia and secretary Jumoke Ariyo.

Outlining his vision for the state, Senator Ojudu said that if elected, he would seek to attract investors, find ways to revive vocational training and attract development agencies back to Ekiti. He pointed out that at the moment, there are very few investors in Ekiti State and all of the state's educated elite live either abroad or other parts of Nigeria and there is a need to reverse that trend.

Senator Ojudu said: "Among other things, we will open up an IT centre to allow the youth to brainstorm in the hope of uncovering a genius who can come up with a few wonder programmes. Also, cocoa production will be stepped up across the south of state, while diasporans will be encouraged to come to Ekiti to help train local youths and young Nigerians abroad will be asked to come back and serve as interns in Ekiti companies.

"Chinese investors operating in other parts of Nigeria will be encouraged to invest in Ekiti agriculture and developmental agencies will be wooed back into the state. At the moment, Ekiti State has five dams, so if elected, I will make sure they are put to work to generate hydro-electric power."

According to Senator Ojudu, despite having a high number of graduates, Ekiti is lacking when it comes to practical economic skills, so he will make sure there will be an emphasis on vocational training. He also pledged to seek to woo the Ekiti elite living in other parts of Nigeria back to the state.

Furthermore, the senator revealed that a previous policy of paying the elderly unemployed a monthly stipend will be revived. He added that the policy collapsed because of corruption but it will be brought back with necessary checks put in place.

Attendees asked the senator a series of questions regarding his role with the Buhari administration, his vision on ending unemployment and how he intends to relate to the diaspora. Ekiti has some of the brightest brains in the diaspora and in the UK alone, some of its indigenes include the former Canuk chairman Chief Bimbo Afolayan and the former mayor of Hackney Councillor Susan Fajana-Thomas.

At Saturday's meeting, Senator Ojudu also swore-in the Ero UK executive committee. They include coordinator Gbenga Badeji, leader Femi Olabintan, women leader Atinuke Okeya, treasurer Bimbo Atolagbe, assistant treasurer Wale Jowas, publicity secretary David Olatunde and public relations officer Gboyega Adedotun.