Oyebanji: Ekiti Has Taken Bold March Forward in Two Years

Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti

Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, last Tuesday expressed satisfaction that the State under his watch has taken a bold march forward in all the key sectors of the economy as evidenced by verifiable indices of development.

Oyebanji who gave an account of stewardship before members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly while delivering the annual State of the State Address, commemorating the second anniversary of his administration, said his administration has been able to achieve much in two years because of the unflinching support and cooperation he had enjoyed from all and sundry so far.

The hallowed chamber of the state Assembly was filled to a capacity with top government officials and prominent citizens in attendance, which included the Deputy Governor, Chief Monisade Afuye; wife of the Governor, Dr. Olayemi Oyebanji; members of the state executive council, heads of education institutions, heads of financial institutions, council chairmen, labour union leaders, and representatives of socio-political groups and political parties.

Governor Oyebanji used the opportunity to articulate the life-changing policies of his administration, ongoing and completed projects cutting across the key sectors and the landmarks recorded in governance which have won Ekiti State several awards and distinguished state as a model among the comity of states in Nigeria.

The House of Assembly members during the State of the State address endorsed Oyebanji for another term in office on the strength of what they described as his “impressive, commendable and laudable performance” in the past two years as captured in the address.

A motion “urging the people of Ekiti State to renew the social contract with Oyebanji beyond 2026” was moved by the lawmaker representing Ikere constituency 1, Hon. Babatunde Oke, which was seconded by the lawmaker representing Ido/Osi constituency 1, Hon. Babatunde Fawekun.

The motion subjected to a voice vote and was unanimously endorsed with overwhelming ‘ayes’ by all members present, and sealed with the bang of the gavel by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Adeoye Aribasoye.

The Speaker charged his colleagues to take the message of endorsement back to their constituencies for them to key into the re-election agenda.

Addressing the Assembly members and the people of the state, Governor Oyebanji noted that his administration has invested in the state security architecture thereby ensuring the protection of lives and property, which in turn has facilitated inflow of investment into the state economy.

He explained that the giant strides his administration was able to achieve in the last two years were made possible with the diligent execution of the six-pillar development agenda which was complemented with the Ekiti Development Plan 2021-2050 which highlights the state development projection within a timeframe of 30 years and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

He said the meticulous implementation of the development agenda with the involvement of the people had improved the living condition of the people and created more economic opportunities for them. He added that he was happy to report to the Assembly that within the last two years the state had received excellent rankings in critical areas.

While acknowledging the fact that the first duty of the government is to maintain law and order and ensuring security of lives and property, the governor disclosed that his administration has ramped up acquisition of security assets to further bolster the state arsenal following earlier massive security acquisitions.

He revealed that full operation have taken off at Ikere, Ijero, Ikole and Omuo Fire Service Stations while more vehicles have been procured for the Amotekun Corps which was complemented by upward review of the salaries of its operatives.

Oyebanji added that his administration also facilitated the deployment of additional troops from the Nigerian Army 32 Artillery Brigade in response to traditional rulers’ request for more security reinforcement and the establishment of the Agro Marshals Corps as a grass-roots security system to protect the forests and keep suspected kidnappers at bay.

According to the governor, his administration has strategically combined legal instruments, policies, reforms, and targeted social and physical infrastructure interventions to position Ekiti as a prime destination for investment where the state has recorded many milestones.

Some of the milestones include the  $80 million support for the Ekiti Knowledge Zone from African Development Bank (AfDB);  provision of $100,000 each to 10 cooperatives in partnership with USADF, N1 billion cooperative fund for Ekiti Cooperative Industry, partnership with Access Bank to facilitate N1 billion credit facilities to Ekiti women to boost small scale businesses.

He stated further that approval granted by the federal government to make the Ekiti Knowledge Zone as a Free Trade Zone would generate 12,000 jobs for young people while the Ekiti State Mega Local Fabrics (Aso Oke) Production Centre is been constructed.

The governor further disclosed that total amount of N400 million was disbursed as grant to 922 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) certificates of 5,400 MSMEs were sponsored by his administration.

In the field of education, the governor disclosed the over 2,000 teachers were recruited in two years while a total sum of N14 billion was spent on the renovation and construction work in 203 public secondary schools under the Adolescent Girls’ Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE)

He identified other milestones in education to include the payment of almost N700million as Running Grants to all public schools in Ekiti State for the 2023/2024 session and payment of examinations fees exceeding N1.2 billion for over 150,000 students across junior and senior secondary school exams since 2023.

Others, according to him, are payment of over N2.5 billion as counterpart funding for the 2022 and 2023 Universal Basic Education Commission counterpart funding, procurement of N174,032,505 worth instructional materials for primary schools, payment of car and housing loans, upgrading graduate teachers in primary schools to grade level 16 and various training and capacity building interventions for over 1,700 teachers.

The Speaker noted that the Oyebanji administration has been productive and fruitful in the last two years “with achievements which are visible to the blind and audible to the deaf.”

Aribasoye stressed that the seventh Assembly, which he presides, and the executive arm led by the governor have worked diligently to realise the core mandates encapsulated in six pillars of the current administration with the partnership fostering  significant advancements in business, economic reforms, probity and accountability.