Fayose Appoints 72-Yr-Old Illiterate Carpenter As Council Chair

Governor Ayo Fayose and Pa Olatunde Afolayan (Image source: supplied)

Ekiti State governor Mr Ayo Fayose, yesterday, sent tongues wagging with the swearing-in of a 72-year-old illiterate carpenter, Pa Olatunde Afolayan, as the caretaker chairman of Moba Local Government. The governor, immediately after the inauguration held at Abiodun Adetiloye Hall, Trade Fair Complex, Ado Ekiti, also appointed a graduate to serve as the Personal Assistant of the septuagenarian.

He also swore in two other caretaker chairmen during the ceremony. The appointees, Mrs. Omolara Bayode Ayeni (Ikole) and Owolabi Ajewole (Ijero) were appointed to replace their predecessors who recently resigned their appointments.

Fayose also swore in the new chairman of the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC), Justice Kayode Bamisile a former Chief Judge of the state and other members of the commission to set the stage for the conduct of the local government polls before the end of the year.

The Nation report continues:

Elated by his appointment, Pa Afolayan, commended the governor for the kind gesture, saying: “What I expected was for the governor to make me a ward chairman. I have never gone to school for a day, but that does not diminish my intelligence. I may not be educated or certificated, but I have the experience to pilot the affairs of the council. I promise to surpass the records left behind by my predecessors to justify Governor Fayose’s assertion that local people are intelligent and visionary.”

Justifying Pa Afolyan’s appointment, Fayose said many elected political office holders rode on the votes of illiterates and insignificant people only to forget them after assuming office. He maintained that the appointment of an illiterate as a council chairman is a way to appreciate such segment of the population.

The governor said: “In my government, whether you are educated or not, you will get something. The vote of a professor and an illiterate is the same. So, under my administration, those who are not educated can rise to any level they want.”

He reiterated his call to_ President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the Acting Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mrs. Amina Zakari, urging the President to appoint credible and trustworthy Nigerians as national commissioners of the commission.

Fayose challenged the people to expose any of the newly appointed SIEC chiefs with questionable characters promising to remove such individual.

“Members of this honourable commission must be men of impeccable characters. So, whoever has anything against any of the members must come forward to prove it and if you do I will remove such person immediately.

“It baffles me when leaders make their in-laws or friend or relations members of electoral body. This is immoral. I have criticized President Buhari for making Mrs Amina Zakari the head of INEC in the country based on certain reasons and I cannot afford to toe the same line. So, the people I have here are those that can do us proud. I urge you to discharge your duty without fear or favour,” he said.