Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji on Friday disclosed that his administration has injected the sum of N31 billion in the economy of the state since he assumed office 200 days ago. According to him, this came in the form of salary, gratuity and pension payments to retirees.
The governor disclosed this at Ido-Ekiti, headquarters of Ido-Osi Local Government Area of the state during a special stakeholders’ engagement marking his first 200 days in office.
He also appealed to the people of the state not to draw a distinction between his administration and that of his predecessor, governor Dr Kayode Fayemi in terms of achievements, saying his activities and actions in the last few months are in tandem with that of Fayemi’s administration.
He said, “I want to appeal to our people not to make a distinction between Governor Fayemi’s administration and mine; we’re one and I said it again we’re one, my administration is an offshoot of Fayemi administration so there’s no distinction between what he has done and what I am doing.
“If Oga(Fayemi) were to be Governor by now, most of this I am doing is what he will be doing because this is something we’ve put down together in the developing plan, which is guiding what I am doing.
“So I appeal to our people, particularly on social media. I don’t have control over what you say but I appeal to you to moderate your comments. Governor Fayemi is my leader I will continue to respect him, he’s has done a lot for this state and still doing it and he needs your prayers for him to do more for us.”
He noted that said the stakeholders’ engagement, which is designed as a “state-of-the-state address” was a fulfilment of his covenant with the citizens to render an account of stewardships every 100 days in office across the three senatorial districts in alternate order.
Oyebanji explained that aside from the payment of salaries, pensions and deductions regularly, another sum of $80 million from the African Development Bank (AfDB) would be injected into the local economy to create more jobs for the youths through the Ekiti Knowledge Zone that has just been granted Free Trade status by the Federal Government.
The governor identified agriculture, tourism, digital technology, entertainment and sports development as critical to the job creation initiatives of his administration.
Oyebanji revealed that the Independent Power Project started by the immediate past administration of Dr Kayode Fayemi would come on stream in July to give uninterrupted power supply to government offices, institutions and streetlights in Ado Ekiti describing the amount being spent on diesel monthly as “unsustainable.”
