Ekiti North residents slam Senator over alleged poor performance in constituency

Residents of the Ekiti North Senatorial District have called out the representative of the zone at the Senate, Olubunmi Adetumbi, for alleged neglect.

The constituents, including monarchs, traders, youth and others, had in a report of performance index compiled by the Catholic Diocese of Ekiti, powered by the Justice Development and Peace Initiative(JDPI), slammed the All Progressives Congress Senator, for allegedly failing to perform his duties effectively in Ido/Osi, Ilejemeje, Moba, Ikole and Oye local governments, where he was elected to represent in 2019.

But the Senator described the verdict passed on him by the residents as frivolous, adding that those making such damaging rating about him exercised such with venom and hatred by deciding to undermine his contributions in terms of service delivery.

In the JDPI’s report signed by its Coordinator, Rev Father Emmanuel Akingbade, made available to newsmen in Ado Ekiti, on Wednesday, the constituents accused the lawmaker of not doing enough in his service to the people in the execution of N222 million cummulative projects earmarked for the district in 2020 federal budgetary provisions.

JDPI in the report broke down the projects estimate as: N10 million naira for provision of 10- lock up shops in Ikole-Ekiti, N20 million to empower youths, N170 million for erosion control, and N60 million naira for completion of erosion control project phase II, Oke-Alewu, Ikole Ekiti.

The budgetary provisions included: N48.77 million for research on creative industry and workshop, N47 million naira for workshop, N15 million naira for construction of 22 hand pump boreholes, as well as N10 million for the provision of motorized boreholes in Ayodeji Adeyemi Ajebandele street, in Otun Ekiti.

Others were: N155 million for Training and supply of empowerment items: grants for farmers, artisans and youths, 50 million naira designated for Provision of ICT hub and N17 million naira Grant for scholarship for indigent students in secondary and tertiary institutions in Ekiti North senatorial district

The JDPI coordinator, said as of September, 2021, when the team visited the district, 75 percent of the funds for the 2020 projects had been released to the Ministries, Departments and Agencies, but saw no remarkable performances to justify the monies collected.

JDPI report showed that the residents, complained bitterly about total neglect of the area in terms of erosion control project, particularly in Otun Ekiti, which is more prone to degradation.

“The constituents confirmed that despite public reports on the damage caused by the overflow of Odo Oranyan and Odo Iwesu, not much had been done to assuage the situation. In Oye-Ekiti, a constituent confirmed that the only erosion work being carried out is situated along Ayegbaju road and nothing indicated that it was a constituency project”.

JDPI revealed that the only skeletal constituency project on erosion control done by Adetumbi was at Ikole- Ekiti, while he also built an ICT hub in Ifaki Ekiti.

The Senator added further: “I have done my best to represent my people. Though I am compiling my own document regarding those projects I had executed, which I will make available to the public soon, particularly the journalists”.