‘YOMI AYELESO x-rays the initial activities of Mr. Biodun Oyebanji as the governor of Ekiti State.
Breaking the continuity jinx with his victory at the poll, Ekiti State governor, Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, who has been around the corridors of power since 1999, has garnered enough experience to manage a state like Ekiti and place it on pedestal of excellence among comity of states in the country. Over the years, Oyebanji nurtured his socio-political skills, which are required for contact, productive interaction and meaningful relationship.
From his deft political moves to Ekiti elites and leaders across party lines across the country before and after inauguration seeking collaboration; to the act of demystifying the office of the governor by being accessible not only to his loyalists but to the poor and downtrodden in the society, he is indeed, creating a strong bond towards a successful tenure.
This level of accessibility was further demonstrated to few days ago, among other testament by the people, when a 20-year-old lady, Tola Adeleye driving a tricycle approached the governor who was on an inspection of the ongoing construction of Ajibamidele – Omisanjana road. Seeing the governor walking along the road, the lady confidently approached him not minding the security details and whispered to offer the governor a ride in her tricycle along the road, which the governor obliged. Fortune, however smiled on her as the governor after the ride ordered for a new tricycle to encourage her. The brand new tricycle has since been delivered to her.
In his inaugural address on October 16, 2022, Oyebanji popularly referred to as BAO, promised to lead the state to economic prosperity and ensure good governance by allowing the people to be the driving force of his administration towards achieving his six-point agenda for the state. The items on the agenda are, youth development and job creation; human capital development; agriculture and rural development and infrastructure; industrialisation, arts, culture and tourism as well as good governance.
The governor believes that when residents and indeed stakeholders have confidence in their leaders, they would be willing and readily available to contribute their resources for socio-economic development.
In a state persistently struggling to meet its increasing obligations due to limited resources, it will take a governor with genuine love for his people and clear policy direction, to be able to deliver the real dividends of democracy to the people across major sectors of the economy.
In the area of infrastructure, there is no doubt that the last few months had been used to attend to the collapsed and poor condition of roads across the state; from the state capital in the central senatorial district to other zones in the state, internal and link roads have been rehabilitated, reconstructed and put in better shape , to the admiration of many travelers and residents, especially farmers.
It should also be put on record that the hitherto moribund and dilapidated Ikogosi warm spring has been put back to life in a more iconic way, as new investors with the enabling environment provided by the governor, trusted the system and committed huge resources for the revitalization of the tourist and relaxation site. The thousands of tourists and fun seekers visiting the place now have multiplier effect on the host community and the economy of the state within the last few months.
If there is any section of the state’s population that is most at home with the new administration, it is the civil servants. Before his inauguration, the state workforce and pensioners were denied series of their entitlements by the previous administrations but Oyebanji has been able to prioritize and put them in the front burner, which are now receiving attention.
Since October last year, a sum of N30.6 billion had been expended by the administration on salaries and pensions, with the positive effect on the local economy of the state, knowing full well that the civil service drive the economy, when they are regularly and adequately paid their benefits.
According to the governor, who gave the breakdown of how the amount was spent, he said, “we have paid a total sum of N30.6 billion as salaries to all categories of workers and pensioners since we assumed office. Similarly, a sum of N4.1 billion was used to defray 2018 outstanding salaries to both state and local government workers. In addition, the Government has approved the sums of N700 million for the payment of gratuities to the State retirees and another N235 million for the local government retirees. Similarly, the sum of N6.2 billion has been released so far, to our subvented higher institutions of learning, including payment of outstanding arrears.”
The Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu said the governor’s humility and disposition has been working in his favor with more people, hitherto ostracized from the party and the state ready to support his administration towards a successful tenure.
He said, “In my opinion, I think he has started well and giving us hope in the state. He is uniting everybody, he is bringing party members together, especially those rubbished in the past and told to leave the party; those not recognised, he is using his humility to bring them back.
“Let me tell you that where there is unity, there will be progress. I don’t live in the state right now, but the information I am getting daily, he is love by the people and attending to their needs. He is not arrogant and he seems to be giving hope to majority of people in the state.
“All we can do is to cooperate with him to achieve success because nobody can do it alone, nobody knows it all, whatever little contribution I can do in terms of advice and suggestions, we will do it in the overall interest of our state.”
Muyiwa Obayanju commended the governor for attending to the needs of the people since assumption, calling on him to sustain the tempo and not be distracted.
“As for me, the governor is doing in attending to all sectors of the state and economy within the few months, especially roads, people’s welfare, workers benefits and the rest. He is paying arrears, deductions and the local government chairmen are getting their funds without any form of disturbance from the executive.
“We hope he will continue and not be distracted when he appoints more people into his cabinet in the coming months and years. He understands the needs of the people and I will advise him to be mindful of the politician he will be appointing to the cabinet soon.”
Giving his assessment of the governor in the last two hundred days, a former Social Democratic Party (SDP) House of Representatives candidate in the 2023 general election, Bimbo Daramola expressed satisfaction with the foundation being laid by the governor, adding that he might consider returning to the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a result of the governor’s accommodating leadership style.
He said, “Oyebanji is one governor who has made us proud and everybody across the length and breadth of this country knows that if I say anything I believe in it. He has shown clearly that there is a track, there is a direction that we are going in this state. The strength of his leadership is the ownership by the people and everywhere he goes, you hear vibes that this governor is doing well.
“No doubt about it, he has given an inspiring leadership and if he has inspired the people, don’t forget that I once ran for governorship in this state and we made promises to people, and some of the promises that we made, I can see that with his own variance of leadership, he is already doing them. So, if he becomes a beacon to come back to APC that we built together, and like I told him, we’ve come a long way, so, under his inspiring leadership, there won’t be a contention.
“I reckon that he is bonding with the people, connecting people, not in terms of inducement, but because of the fact that he feels for them, and once a leader has demonstrated that, then he is right on track.”
The governor’s policies and programmes, infrastructure development and ability to bond with the people in the last seven months has helped in building trust in the minds of the people towards the government. Even though it is still early days in the life of the administration, the level of acceptability he is enjoying among the elites and residents at the grassroots is unprecedented.
While many stakeholders have expressed satisfaction with his government’s direction in the first few months, political watchers explain that the overall success or otherwise of the administration would be determined by how he remained focus, undistracted and prudent with the little resources available to the state.
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