OLA AJAYI, IBADAN
GOVERNOR Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State has restated that his administration inherited a debt profile of N40billion from the past administration.

He said this Monday in Ibadan at a lecture organized by the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) to mark the 10th Anniversary of Premier FM, Ibadan which kicked off on Sunday.

The governor who was represented by the Commissioner for Information and Civic Oritentation, Mr. Funminiyi Afuye said the inherited debt was a big threat to the well being of the people of the state and consequently a threat to peace.

Kayode Fayemi

He therefore called for proactive steps to check corruption by fighting it in a just and fair manner.
This came as Senator Olufemi Lanlehin representing Oyo South in the National Assembly took exception to the way federalism is being practiced in the country.

Senator Lanlehin, who was the chairman of the occasion commented on the topic of the lecture entitled “Peace as Panacea for National Development saying  “Federal Government has no business handling matters relating to agriculture, transportation, labour and so on. This should be the major concern of State and local governments because they have direct link with major players in those sectors.

He said as much as he would love to align with the call for the accommodation of state police to address the daunting challenges of insecurity across the country, he warned that there was need for caution in the area of procurement of arms and ammunition so that some of the governors don’t abuse the process in the long run”.

He cited an example saying that in the immediate past government in Nigeria, some state governors did not behave better than armed bandits adding that to leave arms in the hands of such people would be very dangerous.

Lanlehin lamented further that  “In Nigeria today, peace is becoming elusive in virtually all the sectors of our national life because we have not come to terms with some realities. For instance, the 1999 constitution does not help matters in that it does not reflect the status of Nigeria as a diverse nation.

“Peace is usually a product of justice and fairness without which there can’t be progress and development. Peace cannot be achieved when the privileged few treat the majority with disdain, he said.