June 21: Fayose distributes 32,000 bags of rice to students, others

The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in June 21 election in Ekiti state, Ayo Fayose, has distributed 32,000 branded bags of rice to students of tertiary institutions in the state as well as other residents of the state.
Out of the total number, students got 6,000, 10,000 to market men and women, 10,000 to other groups while the remaining 6,000 went to the 16 local government areas of the state.
Fayose, who personally supervised the distribution of money and rice to the students, said those allocated to other groups such as market men and women, artisans as well as his supporters across the 16 council areas would be rooted through their leaders.
Fayose said he decided to give out the bags of rice and N2,000 each to beneficiaries as a way of identifying with them.
According to him, many of the students of the Ekiti State owned University, whose institution were ordered shut last week by authorities, were not from Ekiti State, hence the need to make them comfortable.
He accused Governor Kayode Fayemi, who is also the flag bearer of the ruling All Progressives Congress, of deliberately ordering the closure of the University because he knew the students had made up their minds to vote massively for him on June 21.
The former governor said the need to stand by the students in their period of difficulty had become necessary so as to discourage them from collecting money that would influence their decision on the day of the election from wrong persons.
He said: “I decided to support you students with all that I have, especially those of you who have made up your minds to stay back here in Ekiti to be able to vote for me.
“I will stop era of no fees, no exams in your institution and reduce the current school fees to the barest minimum as soon as I become governor.”
Spotless Hotel, GRA, Ado Ekiti, venue of the distribution, was a Mecca of sort as students from all parts of the state trooped to the place in their hundreds to get their own share of the largesse.
Security men had hectic time controlling the surging crowd, apparently to avoid stampede, while only those with student identity cards as well as permanent voter cards were allowed entry.