Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji has appealed to the people of the state not to draw a distinction between his administration and that of the former governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi in terms of achievements.
The governor’s comments were coming against the backdrop of a wide range of commendations and ratings above his predecessor’s tenure by stakeholders especially social commentators in the first seven months of his administration.
Speaking on Friday at Ido-Ekiti, headquarters of Ido-Osi Local Government Area of the state during a special stakeholders’ engagement marking his first 200 days in office, Governor Oyebanji explained that his activities and actions in the last few months to the admiration of the people were part of the agenda of former governor Fayemi for the state.
The governor disclosed that his government has injected over N31 billion in terms of salary, gratuity and pension payments to rejig the economy in the last 200 days he assumed office as the state’s Chief executive.
He said, “I want to appeal to our people not to make a distinction between Governor Fayemi’s administration and mine; we’re one and I said it again we’re one, my administration is an offshoot of Fayemi administration so there’s no distinction between what he has done and what I am doing.
“If Oga(Fayemi) were to be Governor by now, most of this I am doing is what he will be doing because this is something we’ve put down together in the developing plan, which is guiding what I am doing.
“So I appeal to our people, particularly on social media. I don’t have control over what you say but I appeal to you to moderate your comments. Governor Fayemi is my leader I will continue to respect him, he’s has done a lot for this state and still doing it and he needs your prayers for him to do more for us.”
He noted that the stakeholders’ engagement, which is designed as a “state-of-the-state address” was a fulfilment of his covenant with the citizens to render an account of stewardships every 100 days in office across the three senatorial districts in alternate order.
Oyebanji explained that aside from the payment of salaries, pensions and deductions regularly, another sum of $80 million from the African Development Bank (AfDB) would be injected into the local economy to create more jobs for the youths through the Ekiti Knowledge Zone that has just been granted Free Trade status by the Federal Government.
The governor identified agriculture, tourism, digital technology, entertainment and sports development as critical to the job creation initiatives of his administration.
Oyebanji revealed that the Independent Power Project started by the immediate past administration of Dr Kayode Fayemi would come on stream in July to give uninterrupted power supply to government offices, institutions and streetlights in Ado Ekiti describing the amount being spent on diesel monthly as “unsustainable.”
The governor added that 500 Ekiti youths are undergoing training under the Ekiti Digital Economy Initiative to assist them in unleashing their potential and transforming their knowledge into wealth.
He noted that 500 Ekiti youths are undergoing training under the Ekiti Digital Economy Initiative to assist them in unleashing their potential and transforming their knowledge into wealth.
Oyebanji said his administration would change the face of agriculture by motivating farmers into commercial farming, while impetuses like land preparation policy, while also distributing inputs like fertilisers, seedlings and other farm implements to farmers at subsidised rates.
Cataloguing his achievements in human capital development, he said the government is gradually decentralizing the insurance policy to the local areas so that poor masses can access treatments in health centres at little or no cost.
