Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, has said the state is reaping the benefits of a deliberate policy of continuity in programmes, policies, and projects that add value to governance and are beneficial to the people.
Oyebanji said the best way to preserve legacy and ensure continuity is to deeply entrench institutional systems that can operate seamlessly even in the absence of pioneers, thereby achieving sustainable development in all key sectors.
The Governor spoke on Tuesday while delivering the 2026 Afe Babalola Distinguished Personality Lecture, organised by the Department of Conflict, Peace and Strategic Studies, Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), in honour of the Founder and Chancellor of the institution, Aare Afe Babalola (SAN).
For worthy legacies to be built, Oyebanji advised leaders to always develop a pragmatic succession plan that will sustain laudable visions, along with the enlistment of dedicated and capable lieutenants who not only believe in the vision but are also committed to its continuation and improvement.
The Governor revealed that he had been prepared for his present role right from his tutelage under the first elected Governor of Ekiti State, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, and his immediate predecessor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, under whom he held positions such as Special Assistant, Special Adviser, Chief of Staff, Commissioner, Director General, and Secretary to the State Government.
According to him, the offices he held before becoming Governor gave him opportunities to serve the people, add value to governance, and gain requisite experience from leaders who deliberately put in place succession plans that are presently benefiting the state.
In the lecture titled “Building Legacies: Governance, Successor-Generation and Continuity,” Oyebanji noted that the core of his administration’s philosophy is the continuity of inherited government projects, irrespective of the political party from which they were inherited.
This, he said, informed his administration’s decision to complete projects started by his predecessors, including Chief Segun Oni, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, and Dr. Kayode Fayemi, as well as the diligent implementation of the Ekiti Transition Law 2022, which mandates the continuation of government projects by succeeding administrations.
The Governor also paid glowing tributes to Aare Babalola for bequeathing numerous legacies to Ekiti, Nigeria, and humanity at large during his lifetime, describing him as “a very distinguished Ekiti elder statesman, an archbishop in the legal temple, a towering national figure, and one of the most iconic African achievers of the modern era.”
He hailed the legal icon and eminent educationist for establishing ABUAD, which he has built into a top destination for excellence in tertiary education and a citadel of learning recently ranked among the top 100 global universities, third in Africa, and first in Nigeria by Times Higher Education Impact Rankings.
Apart from education, the Ekiti Governor also lauded Aare Babalola for his legacies of hard work, investment in healthcare through the establishment of the ABUAD Multi-System Hospital, agriculture, empowerment, and contributions to the creation of Ekiti State, among others, which have earned him the status of a living legend and immortalised him in the hearts of the people.
Explaining the link between good governance and continuity, Oyebanji said his administration has been fully committed to a thirty-year blueprint, the Ekiti State Development Plan 2020–2050, which is also aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He added that his 2022 campaign manifesto was derived from this blueprint and subsequently crystallised into his administration’s six-pillar agenda.
He said:
“I must mention that at the core of our philosophy as an administration is the concept of continuity of inherited government projects. Apart from the fact that this administration is a continuation of the last one, as we belong to the same party and I was also a critical participant in the preceding administration, I am personally convinced that each government is a continuation of those before it.
“So, I was committed to the completion of projects that existed before our administration, including projects started by Chief Segun Oni, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, and my immediate predecessor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi. The benefit of this is that today, we have completed the rehabilitation of Ifaki-Iworoko-Ado Ekiti Road, the Ekiti Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport, the first phase of the Ring Road, the IPP Project, the Traditional Council Chambers, Ado Ekiti Bus Terminal, RAAMP roads, among other legacy projects.
“Additionally, we have delivered, or are continuing, many projects initiated by our administration, such as power projects that have improved electricity supply across the state. Many road projects within Ado metropolis, such as GRA III Extension Road, Maryland Road, Oke Ila Road, Agric Olope–Matthew Link Road, Moferere Road, and Omisanjana–Ajebamidele Road, have also been undertaken.
“We have also completed Ikole-Ara-Isinbode Road, Omu-Ijelu Road, Ikere-Ise Road, Ikere-Ilawe Road, Ikere-Igbara Odo Road, Ikogosi-Igbara Odo Road, and Itawure-Okemesi Road, among others across communities in most local government areas of the state, while many projects are at various stages of completion.
“Our government is currently building an 80-bed complex at Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, in addition to the complete overhaul and equipping of all secondary and primary health facilities. We are also in the process of completing the International Centre for Arts and Culture and an Indoor Sports Complex in Ado Ekiti.”
ABUAD Founder, Aare Babalola, hailed Oyebanji for delivering one of the best public lectures he has heard recently, describing it as lucid, easy to understand, stimulating, and deep, while capturing key elements that enriched the audience’s understanding of continuity and succession in governance.
Aare Babalola advised the Governor to consider returning to ABUAD at the end of his public service to lecture students and share his insights and experience in governance as a way of giving back to humanity.
The legal luminary also urged the Governor to focus attention on the ongoing federal road project leading to the institution by putting pressure on the contractor, considering the hardship faced by workers, including academic staff, in accessing their duty posts.
“Whoever is the contractor working on that road, please help ensure that work is going on day and night because we know what we suffer due to the present condition of the road. That is the only request I have for you today,” Aare Babalola said.