Oyebanji: Unity and Cooperation With N’Assembly Members Driving Ekiti Devt
Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti
Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has ascribed the aggressive development strides in the state in the last two years to cooperation and unity of purpose between his government and the National Assembly members from the state under the leadership of the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele.
Oyebanji, who disclosed this in Ilawe-Ekiti on Monday during the commissioning of Ilawe-Ikogosi Link Road by Senator Bamidele, stated that the partnership had been a veritable impetus to Ekiti development as it has attracted a number of federal projects to the state.
“Members of the National Assembly told me to choose one of the federal roads in the state and they will try to put it in the budget, and I chose Ado-Ijan-Iluomoba road because it is on this road that we have the Airport, Knowledge zone, Smart school, Afe Babalola University, Federal Polytechnic and Institute of Transport Technology, among others.
“They did not only get the road into the budget, they also invited the Minister of Works to personally inspect the road and the Federal Executive Council has awarded the road and work will commence on the road in the next one week,” he said.
Speaking further on the significance of the road, the governor stated that due to the poor condition of the road from Ilesa to Ado Ekiti, he decided to rehabilitate alternative routes for those travelling to Ibadan and Lagos through Ikogosi to Igbaraoke in Ondo State and Ilawe through Ikogosi to Efon Alaaye, thereby bypassing the conventional road that passes through Aramoko Ekiti.
“All these are possible because there is unity between government and our representatives in the National Assembly. It is that unity that has made it possible for me to tell them this is what I want you to do for us.
“They are supposed to choose their constituency projects, but I appealed to them to have a departure from that regime, let me go round and ask people what they want in their communities and they have been implementing the needs of those various communities,” he stated.
Commissioning the road project, Bamidele, who used the opportunity to disclose that Ilawe was his place of birth, praised the governor for inviting him to commission the project, and also promised to establish a mini stadium in the community as a way of giving back to his place of birth.
