Ekiti stakeholders advocate collective efforts for state’s development

Stakeholders in Ekiti State have called for greater unity, active citizenship and collective efforts among the people to consolidate the gains of the past 30 years and build a more prosperous and opportunity-driven state for future generations.

They made the call on Wednesday at a public hearing organised by the Ekiti State House of Assembly as part of activities marking the 30th anniversary of the creation of the state.

The public hearing, with the theme, “Ekiti at 30: Reflecting on Our Journey, Charting Our Future,” brought together former political office holders, lawmakers, technocrats, academics, traditional stakeholders and other citizens to assess the state’s journey since its creation in 1996 and chart a roadmap for its development over the next three decades.

The stakeholders acknowledged that Ekiti had recorded considerable progress in infrastructure, education, human capital development, economic growth and other sectors over the years, but stressed that much more needed to be done to position the state as a hub of opportunities, investment and prosperity.

They therefore urged political leaders, professionals, private sector players and ordinary citizens to work together and place the collective interest of the state above partisan, sectional and personal considerations.

A former governor of the state, Chief Segun Oni, who congratulated the House of Assembly and the people of Ekiti on the anniversary, said the state had achieved considerable stability and growth in the three decades of its existence.

Oni urged the people to support the administration of Governor Biodun Oyebanji and contribute to promoting the ideals and development aspirations of the state.

He said the progress recorded so far should serve as a foundation for a more ambitious development agenda capable of transforming the state and improving the standard of living of its people.

The Speaker of the House of Assembly, Adeoye Aribasoye, said the public hearing was convened to critically interrogate the 30-year journey of the state, identify the challenges confronting it and generate practical and actionable measures for its future development.

Aribasoye said the recommendations and resolutions generated from the exercise would form part of the legislative agenda of the Seventh Assembly and provide useful guidance for future legislatures in their efforts to place Ekiti firmly on the path of sustainable development and prosperity.

According to him, 30 years of statehood represented both a major milestone and an opportunity for sober reflection.

He said: “Thirty years is both a milestone and a moment of reflection. It gives us an opportunity to look back at where we started as a state, examine the journey we have travelled, appreciate the progress we have made, acknowledge the challenges and shortcomings that have confronted us, and, most importantly, ask ourselves what kind of Ekiti we want to build in the years ahead.”

Delivering the keynote address, a lawyer and philanthropist, Tope Adebayo, said the ultimate measure of Ekiti’s development should not merely be the number of successful people produced by the state, but the extent to which more citizens were given opportunities to become successful.

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Adebayo said Ekiti had laid important foundations during the past three decades, but stressed that the responsibility of the present generation was to strengthen those foundations and create an economy capable of generating sustainable opportunities for generations yet unborn.

An elder statesman and the first Commissioner for Finance in Ekiti State, Chief Afolabi Ogunlayi, recalled the struggle that culminated in the creation of the state in 1996.

Ogunlayi said the alleged marginalisation of the Ekiti people in the old Ondo State provided the platform for the agitation for the creation of Ekiti State.

He called for more deliberate and coordinated efforts by stakeholders to achieve a comprehensive transformation of the state.

Speaking on the contribution of the legislature to the development of Ekiti since its creation, a former Deputy Speaker of the House, Karounwi Oladapo, stressed the importance of a harmonious working relationship between the executive and legislative arms of government.

Oladapo said such cooperation was critical to achieving the lofty ideals of the founding fathers of the state and ensuring sustainable development.

Recalling the crises and frequent changes in leadership that characterised the House of Assembly since 1999, he said the turbulent period created setbacks for the state despite the efforts of successive administrations.

He noted that improved cooperation between the legislature and executive had produced important developmental outcomes, including the process that culminated in the state’s ownership of the Ondo State University in Ado-Ekiti, which was subsequently renamed the University of Ado-Ekiti through an Act of Parliament.

The Commissioner for Finance, Akin Oyebode, said Ekiti had experienced significant economic growth over the years, particularly through efforts to diversify its economic base.

Oyebode disclosed that the state’s dependence on agriculture had declined from about 80 per cent in 2005 to 40 per cent in 2017, reflecting the gradual diversification of the economy.

He also disclosed that the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) had risen significantly from about N8 billion in 2020 to more than N50 billion annually in 2025.

According to him, the growth in IGR had enabled the state government to finance its monthly salary bill from internally generated revenue, but stressed that the government’s next objective should be to increase the revenue base sufficiently to cover the entire recurrent expenditure of the state.

Oyebode said such a development would free federal allocations received through the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) for investment in capital projects and other developmental programmes.

He said: “Ekiti’s internal revenue now covers our monthly salaries, but we must move to the next frontier where the IGR covers all the recurrent expenditure. This will mean that FAAC revenue can go solely to investment and capital projects which will have positive impacts on the people.

“I must add that over the last four years, the clear vision and shared prosperity agenda of Governor Biodun Oyebanji across all sectors, coupled with the reforms of President Bola Tinubu, have enabled states to have more funds and resources for developmental projects.”

The Vice-Chancellor of Ekiti State University, Professor Babatola Ayodele, also emphasised the importance of active citizenship in the state’s development process.

Ayodele urged Ekiti citizens across social and economic classes to participate actively in developmental initiatives rather than remain passive observers of the affairs of the state.

He said: “Active citizens are drivers of development, and development is strongest when citizens are partners, not spectators.”