…says worthy legacies can be built from pragmatic succession plan
Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji has said the State is reaping benefits of deliberate policy of continuity of programmes, policies and projects that add value to governance and beneficial to the people.
Oyebanji said the best way to preserve legacy and ensure continuity is to deeply entrench institutional systems that carry on seamlessly even in the absence of pioneers and achieve sustainable development in all key sectors.
The Governor spoke on Tuesday while delivering the 2026 Afe Babalola Distinguished Personality Lecture organized by the Department of Conflict, Peace and Strategic Studies, Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD) in honour of the Founder and Chancellor of the institution, Aare Afe Babalola(SAN).
For worthy legacies to be built, Oyebanji advised leaders to always develop a pragmatic succession plan that will sustain laudable vision and enlistment of dedicated and capable lieutenants who do not only believe in the vision but also committed to its continuation and improvement .
The Governor revealed that he had been prepared for his present role right from under the tutelage of the first elected Governor of Ekiti State, Otunba Niyi Adebayo and his immediate predecessor, Dr Kayode Fayemi in which he held positions of Special Assistant, Special Adviser, Chief of Staff, Commissioner, Director General and Secretary to the State Government.
According to him, the offices held before he became Governor gave him opportunities to serve the people, add value to governance and gained requisite experience from leaders who deliberately put in place succession plans that is presently benefiting the state.
In the the lecture titled “Building Legacies: Governance, Successor-Generation and Continuity,” Oyebanji noted that the core of his administration’s philosophy is the concept of continuity of inherited government projects irrespective of the political party from whom they were inherited.
This, he said, informed the decision of his administration to complete projects started by his predecessors in office including Chief Segun Oni, Mr Ayodele Fayose and Dr Kayode Fayemi as well as the diligent implementation of Ekiti Transition Law 2022 which mandates continuation of government projects by the succeeding administration.
The Governor also paid glowing tributes to Aare Babalola for bequeathing numerous legacies to Ekiti, his home state, Nigeria and humanity at large on his lifetime in virtually all spheres of human life as “a very distinguished Ekiti elder statesman, an archbishop in the legal temple, a towering national figure and one of the most iconic African achievers of modern era.”
He hailed the legal icon and eminent educationist for establishing ABUAD which he has built to become a top destination for excellence in tertiary education and a citadel of learning that was recently ranked among 100 top global universities, 3rd in Africa and 1st in Nigeria by the Times Higher Education Impact.
Apart from education, the Ekiti Governor also lauded Aare Babalola for his legacies of hardwork, investment in healthcare through the establishment of ABUAD Multi System Hospital, agriculture, empowerment, creation of Ekiti State, among others which have earned him the status of a living legend and immortalized him in the hearts of the people.
Explaining the link between good governance and continuity, Oyebanji said his administration has been fully committed to a thirty-year blueprint, Ekiti State Development Plan 2020-2050 which is also in sync with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He added that his campaign manifesto of 2022 was sourced from the blueprint and consequently crystallized into his administration’s six-pillar agenda.
He said: “I must mention that at the core of our philosophy as an administration is the concept of continuity of inherited government projects. Apart from the fact that this administration is a continuation of the last one as we belong to the same party and I was also a critical participant in the preceding administration, I was personally convinced that each government is a continuation of those before it.
“So, I was committed to the completion of projects that existed before our administration including projects started by Chief Segun Oni, Mr Ayodele Fayose and my immediate predecessor, Dr Kayode Fayemi. The benefit of this is that today, we have completed the rehabilitation of Ifaki-Iworoko-Ado Ekiti Road, the Ekiti Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport, the first phase of the Ring Road, the IPP Project, the Traditional Council Chambers, Ado Ekiti Bus Terminal, RAAMP roads, among other legacy projects.
“Additionally, we have also delivered or continuing on many projects that were initiated by our administration, such as power projects that have seen electricity supply improvement across the state. Many road projects within Ado metropolis such as GRA III Extension Road, Maryland Road, Oke Ila Road, Agric Olope-Matthew Link Road, Moferere Road, Omisanjana-Ajebamidele Road.
“We have also completed Ikole-Ara-Isinbode Road, Omu-Ijelu Road, Ikere-Ise Road, Ikere-Ilawe Road, Ikere-Igbara Odo Road, Ikogosi-Igbara Odo Road, Itawure-Okemesi Road among other roads across communities in most LGAs in our state, while many projects are at various stages of completion.
“Our government is currently building an 80-bed complex at Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, in addition to the complete overhauling and equipping of all our secondary and primary health facilities. We are also in the process of completing the International Centre for Arts and Culture and Indoor Sports Complex in Ado Ekiti.”
ABUAD Founder, Aare Babalola hailed Oyebanji for delivering one of the best public lectures he has heard recently adding that the lecture was lucid, easy to understand, stimulating, deep and capturing key ingredients that enriched the understanding of the audience on the principles of continuity and succession in governance.
Aare Babalola advised the Governor to consider coming back to ABUAD at the end of his public service to lecture students and share his insights and experience in governance as a means of giving back to humanity.
The legal luminary urged the Governor to beam his searchlight on the ongoing work by putting pressure on the contractor handling the federal road which leads to the institution considering the hardship faced by workers including academic staff in arriving at their duty posts.
“Whoever is the contractor working on that road, help us ensure that work.is going on day and night because we know what we suffer because of the present condition of the road. That is the only request I have for you today,” Aare Babalola said.
