Oyebanji: We’ll Continue to EngageOpposition for Development of Ekiti

Governor Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State in this interview with Gbenga Sodeinde speaks on his first two years in the saddle of governance and specific programmes he’s been able to execute for the development of the Fountain of Knowledge.

You are two years old in office now, how would you assess your performance so far?

 I don’t know if I am in the best position to assess myself, but so far so good, what we have seen in those places we have gone to is that people are happy with us, people have shown appreciation to the little we have been able to do.

We have used the last two years to lay a very solid foundation for economic growth and development of this state. We campaigned on the mantra of shared prosperity but the people will not prosper if we didn’t put some things in place. We have spent the last two years in erecting the the blocks for prosperity and the next year’s budget is going to address the issue of food security and welfare in Ekiti State.

So what plan do you have for the people of Ekiti in the next two years?

The next two years is to ensure that we scale up our intervention in agriculture and also creating platforms for SMEs to thrive. We must make our economy to be productive because productivity is the key to prosperity.

We are going to be deliberate in our efforts on agriculture and cater for the informal sector of the economy and the Small, Micro and Medium Enterprises because those are the engines of growth. But you can’t do these things if the state is not secured or without infrastructure or not accessible and that is why the airport is key because a road leads to the next town, an airport leads to the world, that is the difference between an airport and a road. From here you can take off and go to the United States but when you leave Ado here by road you will be going to Ikere or the next town.

We have to open up the state and that is what the airport does. So, once we are able to get the airport operational, investors will come into the state. We will scale up our intervention on security though it has improved tremendously.

How have you been able to pay workers salary regularly before the month ends without borrowing?

What we have been doing is that we usually take overdraft from banks to pay salaries before the federal allocation comes into our account. We have not borrowed a dime from any financial institution to run the state in the last two years.

Aside this, there has been an increment in the revenue allocation from the Federal Government, and also there has been a major increase in our IGR. We met our IGR at about N600 million per month, but I can tell you that as of today, we are doing N1.5 billion per month and it keeps increasing every month.

What has been the secret of your cordial relationship with almost all opposition parties in the state since you came on board?

The secret is that I am an apostle of what they call soft power and leadership. It means you know that you have the power but you are careful not to misuse it. It means empathy and compassion. When God entrusted this office into my hands, I made up my mind that the only thing I will do on this seat, is to serve Ekiti people in a way and manner that will bring development into this state. One of the basic ingredients of development is peace and I promise myself that as long as it depends on me, I will be at peace with everyone.

I believe that politics ended after my swearing in as the Governor of the state and that day I took an oath to protect the constitution of this country and to serve the people regardless of political affiliation.

As the Governor, I see all of us as the indigenes of Ekiti not belonging to party A ,B or C. I also note that an average human being deserves to be respected and as a leader you need to humble yourself and respect your people; you must show compassion and it will be very easy for them to walk the path of development with you.

So, in the last two years, we have exhibited the highest sense of humility, compassion, empathy and transparency. I know that if the led trust their government, it will be very easy to lead them and I try as much as possible to be truthful in anything I say.

As a leader, I have chosen the path of peaceful coexistence with everybody  irrespective of political affiliations. It is a choice I have made, it has its own consequences and sacrifices but as long as the strategy translates to the development of our people, it makes me happy.

People in the state seems to trust you so much that once you assure them of something, they will go and sleep, what is responsible for this?

What I can say is responsible for this is that if something is within my power to do, I will do it and if I cannot do it, I will come back to explain to Ekiti people why I have not been able to do it. So, we have exhibited trust as an ingredient of our politics. The people know that when their Governor makes a promise, it may be late but it will be done.

What can you say is responsible for your cordial relationship with all your past leaders in the state and governors irrespective of their political parties that they all rally round you and are giving you all their supports?

What I can say about this is that all my leaders in the state are critical stakeholders in the state development and I need their help in one way or the other and I run to all of them for advice. Let me say that I don’t go to them as a politician, I go to them as Governor of the state and that makes it easy for them to relate with me. That is what is responsible for the peace and the cordial relationship we have.

What are those consequences you faced with this your decision as mentioned earlier ?

The price of people not being accustomed to this style. You see some of our people are telling me that I am not using my power. Some elements within my political party are also not comfortable with this posture.

There have been a lot of ripples within APC with the choices I have made, but like I told them, it is in the interest of Ekiti people.

We don’t play politics with everything; there is time for politics and governance. So far, so good, I have the backing and support of critical leaders in the party and party members are getting used to this style.

Don’t forget it is a new style in our politics in Ekiti and some feathers might be ruffled, but I thank God that our people are getting used to it.

Why did you engage in your recent town hall meeting with the people of the state?

The town hall meeting is not new, it is a carryover from the former administration, and that speaks to the continuity agenda.

But what is important for me is that we believe strongly that as a government, you don’t just sit in the office and rule over the people. There is need for engagement and also to ask the people about their own perspective and what they will like to see in the budget, because government is about the people.

Let me say that what makes me happy about the meetings is that the last one we just ended, people came out to tell us that last year we came here, we requested for some things and they have been done; so that tells me it is not a waste of time. They mentioned about four to five things they requested for last year, that we have done. Even though we have not done all. Also, when we were campaigning, we went to the people to ask for their votes, it will not be too much for us to go back to them now that we are in government. In fairness to the people, they are our employer, they put us here through their votes, there is need for constant engagement and discussion to even feel their pulse about their government. It serves two purposes- to get their input and to gauge their views on how well we are doing.

I can say on both counts, it is worth the while and I will continue to do that regularly.

Improved electricity is key to economic development, what are you doing about this?

 We have done the electricity audit of the state, the way we are now, we are off the national grid; we get electricity from neighboring states and the federal government is trying to put in place two other sub-stations in Ilupeju-Ekiti and Ijesa Isu and they told me it is going to take two years to finish it. The only one we have is the 33kva and there is a limit to how far it can radiate electricity. So, we take electricity from Kwara, Kogi, and Osun states. When these states experience downturn, they switch us off.

On a daily basis, the number of megawatt coming to Ekiti is less than eight, and that is why we came up with the idea of the Independent Power Plant (IPP) to increase the quantity of electricity available to Ekiti people. Since we got to office, the Federal Ministry of Power has commended Ekiti as one of the states if not best that has opened up rural areas to electricity. We have connected more than 30 communities that have not had electricity for over 10 to 15 years. But, when you do that too, a community that has no electricity for 10 years, once you energize their transformer, it blows off.

The solution is for us to start generating electricity for ourselves, that is the most sustainable solution and we are talking to about three vendors. But, before that is done, we manage the 33KVA sub-station we have here and also put pressure on the Federal Government to complete those ones being built in Ilupeju-Ekiti and Ijesa-Isu communities.

We are also exploring the possibilities of renewable energy but this requires a lot of study and once it is done it is going to be combination of renewable energy and the hydro we have in the state. What I can tell you is that electricity in the state has improved because of the new electricity law we have signed; it has bailed us out from the monopoly of the BEDC which has led to the increase in the number of hours we are having electricity and with that law, I believe by next year, we will  witness appreciable improvement in power supply to our people.