Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, has declared that the excellent budget performances under his administration in the last four years remains a huge testimony to the fact he had kept faith with the people in the fulfilment of promises made to them during budget preparations.
Governor Oyebanji stated unequivocally that he had neither betrayed the people, nor took their needs for granted, considering the strategic ways he captured their requests during town hall meetings preceding annual budget preparations.
Governor Oyebanji spoke on Thursday evening, during a Town Hall Meeting with stakeholders from Ekiti Central Senatorial District, as part of preparations for the 2027 Budget, held in Aramoko Ekiti, Ekiti West Local Government Area.
Going down memory lane, Governor Oyebanji said besides budgetary provisions, he made some promises in 2022 during electioneering campaigns, adding he didn’t renege on this social contract taking cognisance of the quantum of projects he had executed across the council areas.
The Governor also assured the people that his administration will use its collaboration with the World Bank through the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP) to deliver 1,500 kilometers of roads across the state to ease transportation challenges being faced by residents, with 235 kilometres expected to be covered under the third phase of RAAMP schedule to commence after the raining season.
Bemoaning the burden of perennial flooding and gully erosion in Efon, Aramoko, and Ado Ekiti towns, the governor stated that his government had understudied the erosional occurrences pummeling the state, and now on the verge of mapping out strategy to tackle it headon.
Promising to improve medical facilities at the primary healthcare cadre, the Governor revealed that his government had renovated a total 110 health centres to buoy quality medicare to the people at the grassroots, promising to undertake more to reduce mortality and morbidity indices among the populace .
Expressing joy over the slump in the level of security threats in the state, Governor Oyebanji appreciated the traditional rulers for taking charge of the security situations through intelligence gathering and vigilance of their subjects to respond promptly to threatening and suspicions in their domains.
“Go and check the records, I didn’t betray the people’s trust in the last four years. When I made promises, I would fulfil them. I did everything I promised. I am making some promises before you now, which I believe I will fulfil as long as I remain the governor of this state .
“One thing I can say is that, we are together on this journey to make Ekiti great. I want to assure you that all your requests that will make lives better for you shall be done through direct response from the state or partnership. Some of the rural roads, which is now about 235 Kms were world bank projects that were done in partnership with the state government.”
At the interactive session, the representatives of Ado, Ekiti west, Irepodun/Ifelodun, Ijero and
Efon Local Governments, praised Governor Oyebanji for making Ekiti epicentre of development through prudent management of resources and running of inclusive governance that left no one behind in the scheme of things.
Specifically, they saluted the governor for proper funding of the Local Council Development Areas that have brought development closer to the populace.
The representatives in their new requests made on behalf of their people, called for execution of more road connectivities, better electricity network , robust healthcare and ambulance services, erosion control, potable water supply, establishment of more public secondary schools in the 2027 budget to make lives meaningful for the citizens.
