POLITICS OF 'STOMACH INFRASTRUCTURE' IS A GOOD POLITICS.

Icheoku says Ekiti State's Governor Ayodele Fayose's example of how to really empower the people by providing them with real democracy dividend, their stomach infrastructure, is indeed a good policy initiative. Icheoku maintains that it is a model policy worthy of emulating and  exploring by all other states, with a view to implementing it throughout Nigeria as a universal policy of the country. It is a trite rule of living that a hungry man is an angry man; and that no hungry person can appreciate any good in anything when his stomach is churning and rumbling, including in huge stadiums no one really needs, government secretariats that adds no value to a state or flyovers when he has no car to drive on them. As the Americans would say "there is no fun in summer when one is hungry"; hence Icheoku commends Governor Ayodele Fayose on this operation feed the people of Ekiti State 'Stomach Infrastructure' program. It is a well thought out idea that will have far reaching benefits for the lucky people of Ekiti State.

It always baffles Icheoku when some state governors or governments in Nigeria fail to appropriately prioritize their initiatives. There was this case of a Member of the House of Representatives and Chairman of then House Committee on Communication during the second republic of President Shagari's government, who went to his rural community and built a post office no one ever once used nor ever wanted. Today the building is empty and rotting away; and only provides shelter for lizards, rats and other rodents in this  predominantly subsistence-farming community. Icheoku believes that were this rural community somewhat near enough to urban areas and within operational zones of armed robbers, the abandoned post office building would have been a very good hiding den for them. But albeit it is so rural and so far removed from civilization that only rodents call it home. So ask yourselves Nigerians what manner of government official would so thoughtlessly locate a facility where it is neither needed nor would add anything of value to the community wherein it is located?

Stories abound everywhere of other such similar white elephant projects which the government usually embarks upon, mainly as a means and conduit to siphon and launder money, as they steal from the people through overinflated contracts, many of which are usually subsequently abandoned. But here in Agodi Ekiti, a man has arisen, a man of the people, a man who is actually on the ground and a man who really understood that no infrastructure ever supersedes that of the stomach. Icheoku says Governor Ayo Fayose understands that majority of the people in the state are hungry and that there is no joy for the hungry and so is doing the needful to assuage this hopelessness. Through a program he appositely termed 'stomach infrastructure', the governor is trying to first save lives and also build up the peoples' stomach infrastructure  through proper nutrition, before other things. Icheoku says it is a good policy initiative worthy of spreading though out the country.

Icheoku says well done Fayose and hopes that other states in Nigeria would emulate his good example and help to also build up their own peoples stomach infrastructures too. It is what  obtains even in advanced democracies throughout the world, where the government's responsibility includes providing nutrition to its less fortunate citizens. Social Security services, Food Stamps, Section 8, Vouchers and many other social services are for example used to provide some form of assistance to citizens of America who are down on their luck. So in Nigeria, where too many people are both down and out on their luck and nearly hopeless that a change in their fortune is within the horizon, a thinking, peoples' orientated government should intervene to mitigate or ameliorate their hardship. Otherwise what is then the need for a government, one would ask, if the peoples' needs cannot be its preoccupation; and it goes without saying that the chief need of humans is to stay alive and to do this, good nutrition is imperative. 

If Icheoku were in authority, priorities would certainly be given to such benevolent policy as providing stomach infrastructure for the people. Instead of spending billions building useless "world-class" stadiums or spending hundred million Naira for just few toilets and bathrooms, Icheoku would spend millions feeding the people. It is the purpose of having a big-brother government and Icheoku hereby declares Governor Ayodele Fayose's Ekiti State government as one very good peoples oriented government. Icheoku says congratulations Governor Fayose on this worthy 'Project Stomach Infrastructure'; and says lucky are the people of Ekiti State who are so fortunately blessed to have such a good man as their governor. Icheoku agrees with the various sentiments being expressed by some of the beneficiaries of this program and whose stomach infrastructures are gradually being built, that Governor Ayo Fayose is a supporter of the common man. Also that he is a grass-root politician to the core and that he will go down in history as the only governor in Nigeria with a genuine interest of the people at heart and also a welfare package for the people, which example is very rear in Nigeria. Icheoku says well done Governor Ayodele Fayose and may you govern long and thrive.