The huge investment of the administration of Governor Biodun Oyebanji in aviation, agriculture, healthcare and infrastructure in the last three years has succeeded in ramping up public facilities and setting the state firmly on the path of economic greatness.
Accordingly, the Governor is not going to relax in the implementation of his six-pillar development agenda. Instead, his administration is poised to do a lot more in the coming year.
This was disclosed in Ado Ekiti, on Wednesday, at a press conference marking the third anniversary of the Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji administration.
Addressing journalists at the press conference, the Chairman of the Anniversary Planning Committee, Oyeniyi Adebayo who is also the Chief of Staff to the Governor, saluted the citizens for their commitment and support in the execution of government policies, describing this as a veritable impetus to deliver the best for Ekiti populace.
Adebayo said the administration has made tremendous impact in the areas of road infrastructure, agriculture, youth employment, rural development and other thematic sectors of the economy, thereby making Ekiti a destination of choice for investors and tourists.
To mark the administration’s third anniversary, Adebayo revealed that many life-changing projects, like: Ikere- Igbara-Odo road, Ogotun-Ikogosi road, Isinbode-Ara-Ikole road, Ado Ekiti Ring Road Phase 1 that traversed over six major towns, Omu-Ijelu-Itapa road, Spotless Hotel road at GRA Area, GRA Third extension road, and others, will be commissioned to add value to the state’s economic fabrics.
In the area of human services, he added that five general hospitals that were recently given comprehensive rehabilitation and equipped with state of the art facilities, would be inaugurated for use by the people.
In the area of agriculture, Adebayo disclosed that over 5,000 youths had been encouraged to fully engage in commercial agriculture through cluster farming taking cognisance of Ekiti’s favourable comparative advantage in farming.
He maintained that the geometric increase in the level of food product accounted for why the state was rated as having the least incidence of food inflation in the country by the National Bureau of Statistics.
“Road infrastructures were being strategically provided to open up the state to new economic opportunities. Knowing our strength in agriculture, we are doing free land clearing and encouraging the youths into commercial farming.
“Go round the cluster farming sites that we have provided, we are building dormitories that were reminiscent of the farm settlements provided by Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s administration during the old western region. These were meant to encourage our youth and for Ekiti to assume food security status.
“Over 5,000 of them have been brought in and fully engaged and we are still looking at encouraging more. You can imagine the economic impact of removing such huge number of youths from the unemployment market in a state like ours.
“While celebrating, we are not going to rest until Ekiti is fully placed on the path of economic prosperity. We will keep on delivering the dividends of democracy to our people in line with the shared prosperity vision of this government”.
Adebayo congratulated the citizens over approval granted by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority(NCAA) for full -fledged commercial operation of the Ekiti State International Cargo Airport.
He averred that this milestone will help in transforming the landscape and serves as a springboard for the the state’s economic potentials.
The Governor described aviation industry as a way of creating a leverage for the state in terms of businesses and investments’ competitiveness nationally and globally and a window to market its potentials to investors who can change the economic narratives through effective diversification process.
Other members of the planning committee at the briefing include the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Habibat Adubiaro, Head of Service, Dr Folakemi Olomojobi; State Chairman of APC, Barrister Sola Elesin; Special Adviser to the Governor on Information, Rt. Hon Taiwo Olatunbosun, Special Adviser, Office of OTSD, Dr John Ekundayo; Chairman ALGON, Hon Olusegun Ojo and Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Olayinka Oyebode.
