Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, has expressed satisfaction with various giant strides made by the State since it was created as a political entity exactly twenty eight years ago.
The Governor noted that the creation of the State on 1st October, 1996 has accelerated the development of Ekiti land which has crystallized into becoming a trail blazer in every aspect of human development under his watch as the state Chief Executive in the last two years.
Addressing the people of the State in a broadcast to mark the 28th anniversary of the creation of the State and the 64th anniversary of the nation’s Independence, Governor Oyebanji also hailed President Bola Tinubu for his unflinching support for Ekiti development since coming to power on 29th May, 2023.
Governor Oyebanji said Ekiti is “grateful over President Tinubu’s numerous interventions and approval of critical federal infrastructure in the State and his support especially in tackling security challenges that confronted us early in the year.” He noted that the presidential intervention has provided Ekiti with the right atmosphere for its growth as a State.
He used the opportunity of the broadcast to eulogize the former Military Administrators and former elected Governors who had held office before him for their contribution to the growth and development of the State on which his administration is presently building.
The Governor paid respect to the Founding Fathers especially Royal Fathers who championed the struggles for the creation of Ekiti State through the Committee for the Creation of Ekiti State under the chairmanship of Chief Deji Fasuan.
He also appreciated Aare Afe Babalola for his contribution towards the actualization of the Ekiti Project.
While paying tributes to traditional rulers and other Ekiti patriots for their roles in the struggle for the creation of the State, Governor Oyebanji also hailed the Ekiti State National Assembly Caucus under the leadership of Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, the Ekiti State House of Assembly, the State Executive Council and other political office holders for adding value to governance.
Making reference to empirical evidence of social and economic growth being witnessed in the Land of Honour, Governor Oyebanji stated that Ekiti is building a robust profile on all indexes of development attested to by recent figures released by Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS) which was realized through the robust implementation of his administration’s six-pillar development agenda.
He said: “There is no doubt the creation of Ekiti State has accelerated the development of Ekitiland. Today, we are more than happy to affirm that Ekiti is now a trailblazer in every aspect of human development index, with those who started before us, now struggling to catch up with us in critical development indices.
“For instance, in the recent data on education by the National Bureau of Statistics, Ekiti was adjudged the second most literate State after Lagos in the South West and one of the most literate in Nigeria.
Similarly, the same Bureau also reported that Ekiti has the least out-of-school children in the South West.
“We are very proud to say Ekiti is a front-liner in education, life expectancy, access to quality healthcare services, physical infrastructure development, access to water, peaceful co-existence, ease-of-doing business, gender equality, social inclusion among others.
Gradually and assuredly, Ekiti is building a formidable profile of a progressive and development-oriented State that is poised for prosperity for all.
While acknowledging some challenges being faced in the governance of the State, including macroeconomic, security and infrastructural challenges and low industrial presence, the Governor said the six-pillar agenda of his administration was carefully crafted and is already yielding fruits across all sectors.
He added: “To respond to this, we came up with the Six Pillars of the Administration with the primary objective of ensuring a shared prosperity for all. It is gratifying to note that our efforts are already yielding fruits across all sectors. We are not only meeting targets, we have surpassed targets in many instances.
“We believe in inclusive growth and sustainable development without leaving anyone behind. As it can be seen in our efforts so far, our Government is very focused and strategic in our development drive. We want to ensure every policy and programme of Government is connected to the chains of Ekiti Development Master Plan and the Six Pillars of Administration to deliver the shared prosperity promise.
“We are also deliberate in our plan that every Government spending must lead to job creation, inclusive growth and sustainable development. In the last two years since we came on board, we are glad to report that we have made some giant strides in different aspects of administration in accordance with our social contract with Ekiti people.
“Law and order is the primary responsibility of every government, Accordingly, we have made security of life and property our topmost priority. As a State, we have, like many other parts of the country, had to contend with occasional opportunistic attacks of ‘hit-and-run” kidnappers, I am glad that we have been able to bring them to book while we continue to do our best to prevent future recurrence.
“Similarly, we have been able to end the frightful incidence of street hoodlums who troubled the city of Ado-Ekiti in recent months. We have arrested them and they are currently facing trial. I therefore want to assure you that we will continue to do our best to protect you while we also appeal to you to help the Government by providing helpful information that can assist the security agencies to prevent and fight crimes in our dear State.”
The Governor assured the people of the State of his commitment to the social contract he has with them stressing that the people’s welfare and wellbeing remain the sole pursuit of his administration expressing gratitude to their trust in his leadership.
