Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, at the weekend said he owes President Bola Tinubu a debt of gratitude for making governance easier for him, as well as for other governors.
Speaking in Ado-Ekiti at an interactive session with journalists, Oyebanji narrated how his administration had struggled for almost six months to meet the state’s wage bill and execute capital projects until the emergence of Tinubu as President.
The governor stated that the various intervention programmes of the President made more resources available to all states, including Ekiti State, thereby enabling his administration to implement its shared prosperity agenda with ease.
At the interactive session, which was attended by heads of media organisations in the state and journalists from the print, electronic, and digital media, Oyebanji said the ongoing construction of three federal roads linking the state has eased pressure from citizens who had been calling on his government to fix the roads.
He said the cost of the recently approved concrete pavement on the Ado-Itawure Road is higher than the state’s entire 2023 budget, noting that without the President’s intervention, there was no way the state could have embarked on the project.
“I became governor six months before the inauguration of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as President. In those six months, I had sleepless nights thinking about how to meet the wage bill and also implement the shared prosperity agenda. We have completed the airport now. Our focus is on roads. Thanks to the President, the Ado-Akure Road is almost completed. He has also awarded the Ado-Itawure Road. The value of that contract is bigger than our budget for two years. If not for the President, who cares, there is no way we could have done those roads,” he said.
The governor stated that the increased allocation from the Federal Government has enabled his administration to increase subventions to the state’s tertiary institutions threefold and meet the demands of the labour force, thereby fostering industrial harmony in the state.
Speaking further, Governor Oyebanji said his administration has paid over N85 billion in gratuities and pensions since it came on board in 2022.
He asserted that the endorsement of his administration by the people of Ekiti has largely resulted from its sterling performance, which has been facilitated by Tinubu’s presidency.
He also thanked the media in the state for being professional in the discharge of their duties, enlightening the public, and holding the government accountable when necessary.
While urging Ekiti people to support Tinubu’s re-election, Oyebanji said the President is repositioning Nigeria on the path of greatness and should be given the benefit of the doubt.
“The President deserves commendation. It is not possible to make an omelette without breaking eggs. The progress and stability that he has brought to the economy and every other sector require someone with courage and confidence. He is trying to fix things that have gone wrong in the last 30 years. If someone is sick and you give him an injection, does he get well instantly? Mr. President deserves our support and understanding. I have sat with him many times, and I can see that he has clarity of purpose and knows how to put the country on the right footing,” Oyebanji said.