…calls for revival of human capital
By Hope James
The Vice Chairman (Chairman Central), of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, NYCN, Ekiti State, Comrade Suraj Opeyemi Musa has called the government out on the current state of Ekiti, stating that it is the most expensive southwestern state.
In an open letter to His Excellency, Governor Biodun Oyebanji, he highlighted the high cost of living and mobility services in Ekiti, calling for action from the state government before things become worse.
According to him, the cost of transportation services remains the highest compared to the neighboring states of Osun, Ondo, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun, Lagos, and Kogi.
Giving a quote from Elon musk, he wrote, “If we cut down the cost of transportation in space, we can do great things.”
He also noted that the cost of living is skyrocketing and the chance of living is deteriorating.
The open letter reads: “Ekiti State of the communal past is fast becoming a land of populism, criminally minded, and amoral due to a lack of strategic measures from the past governments. Ekiti of ages is known for a common pristine identity where multiculturalism was domiciled to succeed, education was at the highest prestige, and agriculture was significantly a major contributor to the economy. Every government in pursuit of good intentions tries to rearrange the economic designs, introduces legislative morality, and helps specially recognized interests that birthed efficiency, motivation, and freedom.
“It’s disheartening that Ekiti’s long-standing identity has been corrupted due to all forms of political methodologies and instabilities introduced to the political foundations of Ekiti politics and the deliberate plans to reduce the youth to tokenism. The exploitative nature of the state and the lack of directional policies reflected in the activities constituting criminalities in the state such as internet fraud, unemployment, commercial sex businesses, kidnapping, thuggery, corruption, diversion of public funds, political corruption, maladministration, climate change, sporting bets, environmental degradation, pollution, etc.
“Food supplies and nutritional inaccessibility have threatened our communal existence to the brim owing to the clouded security strategies of the past and this has resulted in a complete loss of happiness within the Ekiti public and as such has badly affected the productive economy of the state. The price hike has been a consistent exercise over the years without executive attention, many might attribute it to the scarcity of fuel and raw materials, and many attached their claims to border closure while other selfish claims are baseless but the undefeated question is why are the market in other states with the same products are way cheaper than Ekiti markets?
“Categorically speaking, accommodation and raw materials in Ekiti State are costlier than in the rest of the states in the Southwest. Transportation (Inter State Transport, City Taxis, Okada, and Keke Napep) are the costliest in Southern Nigeria. Food materials for consumption (Processed or Unprocessed) remain the highest priced in the region despite our scholarly exposure and understanding of Maslow’s theory of NEEDS on necessities of life. We call on you to expressly attend to the rising cost of living in Ekiti State.
“Ekiti State as a landlocked state is hardly proud of the exportation of any resources except the seemingly overblown human capacities which haven’t transformed into development in recent times but we have forgotten that our state is the most mountainous part of Nigeria with 6,353 km2 (2,453 sq mi) · 31st of 36 · 2,210,957 which could generate unbelievable required numbers of internally generated revenues through investments, industrialization, discoveries, afforestation, and on forest reserves for agricultural products. The state is prestige in solid minerals like kaolin deposits for pharmaceutical products in Isan Ekiti, dimension stones line granite, and charnockite in central and southern Ekiti. Timbers, cash crops, cocoa, cashew, palm oil, gold, tin ore, bauxite, tantalite, and timbers are yet to be tapped for public goods.
“Our concern for a working and productive Ekiti is more than the concern of a private chancellor over his establishment. In the political economy of the state, I read that infrastructural deficits and high cost of living are asymmetrical to development and scare potential investors because every investor requires cheap labor and access to cheap raw materials for profit maximization and capital accumulation.
“Special things need your special attention and consideration for you to survive as the 1st freshly minted homegrown Governor produced in Ekiti State since 1999. The young Ekiti youths are anxiously waiting for the human capacity revival and championing the Ekiti pride in us to unlock our potential and make the state productive and generate returns for the state in the areas of digital technology, security, agriculture, networking, mineral investments, health, education, the attraction of foreign direct investment, Obudulize our mountains and carnival Ekiti culture for global consumption and it will safely generate revenues.
“According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), 2022. One hundred and thirty-three million (133 million) Nigerians are living in abject poverty which constitutes 72% of rural inhabitants. This pointed a negative signal to the impregnated 2023, a year with the double historical conception of (General Elections and the National Population Census). Your government should start building up alternative strategies and revive the dying Ekiti outlook in the ruralized men and women and the need to secure and decongest the city centers for a productive economy and directly engage the youthful populace.
“Ekiti State has more than 65% of the youth population with the energy to productively impact the economy for the greatest numbers of goods. Youths in the western world are the driver of every economy, they are the oil that wheels the state while the government is the major processor of the energies through legislation and reward systems. No doubt, humanity celebrates a reward system that guarantees each according to his contribution and each according to his needs in a competitive economy.
“Investment in Ekiti youth is an investment in the future of Ekiti, your one-time investment in all the above-mentioned areas can generate win-win billions of dollars for your government and the workers. Youths in the state are fresh, they have not been exhausted or pushed to an elastic point, and they can resuscitate our dying economic prestige if given the required training with unbiased political enlistment.
“The experience in the third (3rd) world economy was that even if one is making more money, the cost of living and housing increased often faster than wages should be considered an insult to commonsense.
“We cannot always build the future for the system but we can build the system for the future.
“BUILD THE YOUTH! BUILD THE NATION.”