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Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti

The Ekiti State Government has declared that Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji’s second term will usher in a new phase of accelerated development, with greater investments in infrastructure, healthcare, education, agriculture and economic growth.

The assurance came on Thursday as the Governor’s Second Term Inauguration Planning Committee unveiled the programme of activities for the October 16 inauguration and presented what it described as the administration’s scorecard after four years in office.

Addressing journalists in Ado-Ekiti, Chairman of the Planning Committee and Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr. Oyeniyi Adebayo, said the theme of the inauguration, ‘The Good Work Continues’, reflects the administration’s determination to consolidate its achievements while introducing fresh interventions that will improve the welfare of residents and deepen economic prosperity.

According to him, activities marking the inauguration will begin with a Jumat thanksgiving service at the Central Mosque, Ado-Ekiti, on Friday, October 2, while other events will culminate in the swearing-in ceremony on October 16.

Highlighting the administration’s achievements since assuming office in October 2022, Adebayo said the completion and commencement of commercial operations at the Ekiti Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport in late 2025 had opened new opportunities for investment, tourism, trade, commerce and agricultural exports.

He added that the government had completed and commissioned more than 500 kilometres of inter-city and rural roads, while several others are at various stages of completion. He also noted that electricity had been restored to communities in Aiyekire and Ekiti East Local Government Areas, as well as the Ikogosi tourism corridor, ending years of darkness in the affected areas.

In the health sector, Adebayo disclosed that over 110 primary healthcare centres and all general hospitals in the state had been renovated and equipped with modern facilities.

He added that the administration had also undertaken the renovation of 203 secondary schools, including three special schools, and 950 primary schools across the state. Nine ICT laboratories were established in selected secondary schools and technical colleges, while new primary schools were built under the Suburb Model School Project.

The committee chairman further stated that the government had paid N2.158 billion in WAEC examination fees for 69,000 students and provided free JAMB forms for 12,400 candidates over the last four years.

On agriculture and enterprise development, he said more than 5,000 youths had been engaged through the Bring Back the Youth into Agriculture initiative, with participants reportedly generating over N1 billion in profits within 18 months.

He also listed other interventions, including the disbursement of N1.1 billion in credit and operational grants to 2,777 beneficiaries, N400 million in loans to 443 micro, small and medium enterprises, N450 million in grants to 10 agro-processing cooperatives, and free Corporate Affairs Commission registration for about 5,400 MSMEs.

Adebayo also praised the administration’s fiscal management, saying Ekiti had maintained the number one position in the BudgIT State Fiscal Transparency League for nine consecutive quarters, from the second quarter of 2024 to the second quarter of 2026.

Looking ahead, he said the second term would focus on expanding rural road construction, with a target of delivering 1,500 kilometres of roads through government efforts and partnerships with development agencies.

He explained that recent consultations across the state’s three senatorial districts identified healthcare, electricity, roads, water supply, agriculture, human capital development and job creation as priority areas requiring sustained government attention.