By Idowu Gabriel
Ado-Ekiti – Mr Atoye Ariyo-Dare, a former Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) and Pro-Democracy Activist, has declared his intention to contest the governorship election in Ekiti in 2018.
Ariyo-Dare, who claimed to be member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), made his intention known on Saturday at an interactive session with journalists in Ado-Ekiti.
The 36-year-old governorship hopeful, who was a Correspondent of NAN in Abeokuta, tagged his political ambition: “The Next Phase of Ekiti and The Cost of Vote Campaign.”
He promised to uplift the standard of education and revolutionise agriculture for the development of the state, if elected as the next governor of the Fountain of Knowledge.
Ariyo-Dare said that his coming to the race was borne out of the desire to give a purposeful leadership that would project the knowledge potential of the state to the international world.
“I am ready to toil, sweat and offer everything, including paying the supreme sacrifice, for our land to succeed.
“Genuine leadership is sacrifice and that is the only thing I have come to offer.
“We must strive to be part of the World, at the cutting edge in advanced developmental education and hi-tech farming.
“We must transform our farming from just being a producer of raw materials to being a manufacturer of finished goods.
“Ekiti must provide leadership to unlock the massive potential in Nigeria, because the era of depending on oil revenue is fast fading off,” the pro-democracy activist said.
He described himself as a “Political Missionary and a Reformist’’ with fresh ideas to lead the state to development.
“The next phase of Ekiti is where our decades of toiling for education and investment in knowledge will translate into concrete development driven by sacrifice and limitless possibilities.
“If knowledge had worked for the Americans, the Europeans, the Indians, the Chinese and even the Asian Tigers, knowledge can work for us to transform Ekiti State through the ingenuity of exceptional ideas.
“Nigeria is waiting on Ekiti State to give a firm direction to this nation on how to use knowledge and education to drive innovation and developments.
“The future is no more in oil, we must lead our country in creating alternatives,” he said.
Ariyo-Dare also advised Nigerians, especially youths, to refrain from selling their future to moneybag politicians, whom, he said had little or nothing to offer in terms of development.
“It is time to prioritise big development and not big politics; I have come to seek your collective support to let us redefine our state and our path in this nation, so that we can secure our future.
“I have come to ask you to let us do real soul-searching, interrogate where we are going and salvage our tomorrow.
“I want to prepare Ekiti for the danger that is coming to affect this nation; in less than 25 years from now, the population of Nigeria is projected to hit 500 million.
“It will be catastrophic with the current infrastructures and dependent on the dying oil money.
“The onus is on us in Ekiti to think on how to positively take advantage of this rising population as a market opportunity to market our ideas and sell our products- Made in Ekiti,’’ he said.
Ariyo-Dare also disclosed that in his quest to assist the less privileged, no fewer than 21 pupils have benefitted from his scholarship awards for three best pupils of the St. James Primary School, Igbara-Odo, in Ekiti South West Local Government Area.
He also said that the “Fajuyi Competitive Educational Awards Scheme for pupils of St. Georges’ Primary School, Ado-Ekiti, was initiated as an annual scheme for the best three pupils of the school.
The governorship aspirant said that in his strive to raise standard of education the Competitive Educational Awards scheme was extended to pupils of St. Thomas Primary School, Igbara-Odo, Ekiti.
Ariyo-Dare said the scheme was in honour of the late Gen. Adeyinka Adebayo.
NAN reports that governorship election will hold in Ekiti in 2018 at the expiration of Gov. Ayodele Fayose’s tenure.