Ekiti Speaker Seeks Diaspora’s Support for Investment Drive
Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti
The Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Olubunmi Adelugba, has urged the Ekiti in Diaspora to key into the blueprint of the administration of Governor Biodun Oyebanji to boost the industrial and investment profile of the state.
Rt. Hon. Adelugba made the call yesterday when she hosted members of Ekiti in Houston Association, the umbrella body of Ekiti indigenes resident in the city of Houston in the state of Texas in the United States of America in her office in Ado Ekiti.
According to a statement by the Special Adviser (Media) to the Speaker, Odunayo Ogunmola, the association members, who were led by their President, Pastor Bolu Alabi, said they were impressed by positive developments going on in their home state. They therefore expressed readiness to partner with the government in key sectors of the economy.
The Speaker urged Ekiti citizens in other parts of the world to leverage on the enabling environment provided by the Oyebanji administration for development purposes especially in agribusiness, commerce, tourism, Information and Communication Technology, education, health, among
others.
She pointed out that Ekiti was making progress in key sectors of the economy and the inputs of its indigenes abroad would be needed to complement what the state government was doing to make it a destination of choice for business and investment that would create more jobs for the youths.
Adelugba stressed that Ekiti now has an airport that was established for export of agricultural produce the state has comparative advantage in and also to give access to commercial aviation transportation to open up the state by air to other parts of Nigeria and outside the country.
The speaker, while informing members of the group on the developmental strides achieved in the state in recent times by the immediate past and present government, expressed the readiness of the executive and legislative arms of government to partner with bodies and associations with genuine interest of the state at heart.
She said: “Ekiti of this era is an Ekiti that is progressing and moving forward. We want you to leverage on areas some of which you have mentioned and there are so many numerous areas you can partner with the government of Ekiti State to develop your state of origin.
“You can partner with the state in agricultural development, infrastructural development, tourism, health, education and many others. I am happy that you are already exploring areas you can partner with the state for development.
“In Ekiti, we now have our own airport and planes can land there. We (Ekitis) used the Akure Airport more than the people in Ondo State but now, we have our own airport and it will be put into good use. It is also a cargo airport that can be used to export and market our agricultural produce.”
Speaking earlier, the President of Ekiti in Houston Association, Pastor Alabi, said the body was delighted that Ekiti had produced the first female speaker in its political history in person of Rt. Hon. Adelugba, whom he described as a competent person for the exalted office.
The association boss disclosed that there over 1,000 Ekiti families in the city of Houston, which he said has a population of about 7.2 million people, noting that many of them were doing well in various fields of human endeavours.
Pastor Alabi said the association was always abreast of what was happening back home and is also impressed by the recent strides of the Oyebanji administration which explained why they deemed it fit to come home and unfold their readiness to contribute their quota to Ekiti development.
He said: “We want to get part of the progress and be part of the new dawn in our state. We are here to see how we can contribute our little quota to the development of the state.
“We want to work with the Ministry of Education on how we can award scholarships to deserving indigent students in all the local government areas of the state.
“We are also working with the Ministry of Works on how we can be involved in the renovation of public infrastructure especially the public hospitals in the state. We also want to institute endowment funds in the two state-owned universities to encourage academic excellence and infrastructural development of these institutions.”
He also expressed delight with the cooperation and smooth working relationship that exists between the Executive and Legislature in Ekiti State which he noted would facilitate good governance.
