Governor Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State on Thursday hailed the remarkable strides and progress the state had made 30 years after it was created.
Oyebanji said that Ekiti people had reasons to celebrate the three-decade milestone because of the remarkable progress recorded in all indices of development, although the state encountered many challenges and unpleasant experiences during the period.
The governor spoke in a statewide broadcast to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the state and the 66th Independence anniversary of the country.
Ekiti State was created on October 1, 1996, by the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, during a broadcast to mark the nation’s 36th independence anniversary.
The state was created alongside Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Gombe, Nasarawa, and Zamfara states, increasing the number of states in Nigeria from 30 to 36.
The feat was achieved after years of struggle by eminent citizens of the state, among whom were traditional rulers, legal luminaries, politicians, senior bureaucrats, captains of industry and community leaders under the aegis of a body known as Committee for the Creation of Ekiti State.
The governor noted that despite being among the last set of states created in the country and receiving one of the lowest allocations from the Federation Account, “Ekiti leads its contemporaries and many before it, including far richer states, in critical matrices of human development.”
Oyebanji, who said many people did not give Ekiti a chance to be created as a state as it stood against “more formidable contenders from the Southwest geopolitical zone,” ascribed glory to God for making the creation of the state possible against all odds.
He said, “The creation of Ekiti State 30 years ago and 120 years after the Kiriji War completed an epic struggle for independence started by Ekiti forebears in the liberation war of 1877 to 1893.”
He congratulated all Ekiti sons and daughters and all people from other parts of the world who had made Ekiti their home on the occasion of the 30th anniversary.
Oyebanji paid tributes to members of the Committee for the Creation of Ekiti State led by their Chairman, Chief Oladeji Fasuan; legal icon, Aare Afe Babalola; Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe; other monarchs who he described as “incubators of the state creation struggle” and lauded the patriotic sacrifices of heroes and heroines of the struggle who had joined their ancestors.
Oyebanji said it was heartwarming that, as the then secretary of the Committee for Ekiti State Creation, through the grace of God and the benevolence of Ekiti people, he is now in the saddle as governor of the state, as the state turns 30, an experience he described as “very humbling.”
He equally paid glowing tributes to all his predecessors in office: Col Inua Bawa, Navy Capt Atanda Yusuf, Niyi Adebayo, Chief Ayo Fayose, Chief Segun Oni, Dr Kayode Fayemi and leaders who served during interregnums like Chief Friday Aderemi, Brig Gen Tunji Olurin, Tope Ademiluyi, Tunji Odeyemi, all former deputy governors and all former heads of legislature and judiciary.
The governor restated his administration’s commitment to the ideals of the founding fathers that inspired the creation of the state, stressing that “the vision of the founding fathers was to have a state where Ekiti people can utilise their God-given natural and human resources in the most efficient, effective and inclusive manner, for the prosperity of our people.
“They envisioned an industrialised Ekiti, where private sector capital is at the centre of the economic nervous system of the state and where enterprise and productivity are the pillars of prosperity.”
While unveiling the theme of the anniversary ‘Ekiti at 30: Celebrating the Past and Creating the Future,’ the governor disclosed that his administration had decided to use the 30th anniversary as the launchpad for a 30-year transformation agenda.
He said, “The agenda will make Ekiti a leading centre of agricultural production and agro-processing, innovation and tech development, quality and functional education, research and skills development, tourism, culture and creative economy and youth entrepreneurship and sustainable development.
“Our agenda is therefore to work aggressively to ensure that the socio-economic infrastructures we have built in these 30 years lead to real economic growth that produces quality employment, crystallises productivity, supports enterprise and enhances quality of life.
“For example, the ongoing multi-billion naira Ekiti Knowledge Zone (EKZ) project is a technological park and economic ecosystem to support the innovative and creative ingenuity of our young population.
“It is our dream that in another three decades, the tag of Ekiti as a ‘civil service’ state will have yielded to Ekiti as a tech hub in Nigeria and a major commercial centre for international trade and commerce.
“This is our promise, and we are resolutely committed to it. The Special Agricultural Processing Zone (SAPZ) will also take off soon. These two projects, upon completion, will transform the economic outlook of the state and drive our government’s Shared Prosperity Agenda.”
The governor urged the people of the state “to troop out en masse during the January 16, 2027, presidential election and use their votes to re-elect President Bola Tinubu in appreciation of his benevolence, support, and favour Ekiti has enjoyed under his presidency since 2023.”
Credit: punchng.com
