Governor Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State has said President Bola Tinubu deserves commendation rather than condemnation, declaring that the President has made governance significantly easier for him and other state governors.
Oyebanji said the Tinubu administration’s interventionist policies and improved federal allocations had strengthened states’ capacity to meet their financial obligations and execute capital projects.
Speaking at an interactive session with journalists in Ado Ekiti at the weekend, the governor stated that the President deserves support and understanding from Nigerians, noting that the reforms being undertaken require courage and patience to yield results.
“The president deserves commendations, not condemnation. It is not possible to make an omelette without breaking eggs. The progress and stability that he has brought to the economy and everything- it takes someone who has courage and confidence to do it,” Oyebanji said.
He added that the President Tinubu-led administration was confronting long-standing structural challenges that had accumulated over the past three decades, stressing that meaningful reform could not produce instant results.
“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 support and understanding. I have sat with him many times, and I can see that he has clarity of intention and how to put the country on the right footing”, he said.
Governor Oyebanji recalled that his administration struggled for about six months to meet wage bills and fund key projects before Tinubu emerged as President.
According to him, the situation improved with increased federal support, which he said had enabled Ekiti State to push forward its development agenda more effectively.
“The various interventionist programmes of the President made more resources available to all States, including Ekiti State, enabling his administration to implement its shared prosperity agenda with ease,” Oyebanji said.
He noted that ongoing federal road projects in the state had also reduced pressure on the state government, as residents had persistently demanded intervention on major highways.
The governor explained that the cost of some of the road projects approved under the federal intervention programme far exceeded Ekiti State’s annual budget, making it impossible for the state to undertake them alone.
“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 done.
Mr President 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 that cares, there is no way we could have done those roads”, he said.
Governor Oyebanji added that increased federal allocations had enabled his administration to raise subventions to tertiary institutions three times, meet workers’ demands, and sustain industrial harmony across the state.
He also said his government had paid over N85bn in gratuities and pensions since assuming office in 2022, describing the development as part of efforts to clear inherited liabilities.
The governor maintained that the growing endorsement of his administration by Ekiti people was largely driven by what he described as visible progress achieved through collaboration with the federal government.
He commended journalists in the state for what he described as their professionalism, fairness and commitment to public enlightenment and accountability.
Credit: thenationonlineng.net
