Oyebanji speaks of Justice, development on one year Annniversary

By Abiodun Oyebanji

Today’s address is in fulfillment of the Law passed by this venerable Assembly that requires that the Governor comes before Ekiti people through their legislative Assembly, to give the stewardship of activities within the year. And as I had indicated in the budget speech on Friday, that I would be back to give good details of my stewardship before you and Ekiti people that you represent, it my now pleasure to be readmitted into this Hallowed Chamber to give the account of my stewardship in the last one year.

2. I stand before you today with a heart filled with gratitude, humility, and a profound sense of duty as I address the great people of Ekiti State on this historic occasion that commemorates our first year in office as Governor. I want to extend my heartfelt appreciation to all the good people of Ekiti State who believed in our vision and have continued to offer tremendous support towards its actualization. Your unwavering faith and dedication over the past 12 months have been a wind unto our wings.
3. I want to thank Dr. Kayode Fayemi who enshrined this democratic practice of accountability in our governance culture in Ekiti. Our State is the only state in Nigeria that has instituted the State of the State Address as a legal requirement for stewardship. We therefore, should be very proud of ourselves as a people, that, we do not just talk accountable governance as a mantra, we are doing everything possible to walk it as part of our governance culture, I am also duty bound to mark walk this path in furtherance of our continuity agenda.
4. Mr. Speaker, to further headline how important we believe in participatory democracy, I had to undertake a statewide engagement tour of the three senatorial districts in preparation for the 2024 Budget presentation. The public engagements, which afforded me the opportunity to interact with our people and for them to present us with the most pressing of their needs, is also another platform of accountable stewardship, and representative goveranance.
5. I must also mention that since we assumed office October 16, 2022, we have made it a duty to go out every 100 days to meet with Ekiti people to give accounts of our activities, and solicit their opinion on the best way they think they would want to be served. I promise not to deviate from these principles, because we are committed to the principle of participatory democracy, inclusive governance and accountable leadership. It is my belief that these periodic feedback opportunities will give us the opportunity to constantly engage our people to let them know where we are, and where we are going.
6. Ladies and gentlemen, before I go further into this address, let me thank Ekiti people for the show of love for our administration. I am always overwhelmed by the level of support, enthusiasm and goodwill that we continue to receive from our people. My appreciation must go to the State Assembly for your patriotic cooperation in the service of our people. Your support has been of tremendous contribution to the successes we have attained thus far.
7. About this time last year, we were in transition from one administration to another, a transition that was historic as it marked the first intra party handover in our State. I therefore want to thank my immediate predecessor and mentor Dr Kayode Fayemi, CON and his wife Erelu Bisi Fayemi, for the historic role they played to bring our administration on board. I want to also acknowledge the support of former Governors HE Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, CON, Ayodele Fayose, CON and Engr. Segun Oni. I also thank all our party leaders and members across cadres for their sacrifices and support.
   PILLARS OF ADMINISTRATION
8. As a candidate in the 2022 election that brought us to power, the central principle and theme of our campaign was Continuity for shared prosperity to Keep Ekiti Working. To communicate this in concrete terms, we anchored our campaign messages on six-point agenda. That we won the election meant the electorate trusted our manifesto more than those of our rivals then. Since we won the election, the manifesto has been treated as a sacred social contract between us and the electorate who put us in office.
9. It is important to note that manifesto (now pillars of administration), upon which we campaigned was deeply rooted in Ekiti Development Plan 2021-2050 which highlights the development projection of our State in the next 30 years. It is important to mention that the manifesto is also in line with the development objectives of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We have carefully outlined our plans for education, healthcare, water and sanitation, transportation, agriculture, power, the infrastructure, civil service, and rural development. We are committed to achieving the targeted goals in these vital areas.
10. Accordingly, we have codified the six-point agenda into the Six Pillars of Administration which include: 1. Governance, 2. Youth Development and Job Creation, 3. Human Capital Development, 4. Agriculture and Rural Development, 5. Infrastructure and Industrialization and 6. Arts, Culture, and Tourism.
11. Therefore, Policies, programs, strategies and capital expenditure of the government are geared towards actualizing these six pillars.
    GOVERNANCE:

Law and Order

12. Mr. Speaker, the main purpose of government is to maintain law and order for the protection of life and properties; and the maintenance of peace and development. Since we assumed office, we have made the security of lives and property our main responsibility. We have always energized the security system of the State and ensured there is relative peace in the State. To enhance the capability of the police, we recently procured some equipment for the police. They include, two armoured personnel carrier (APC), eleven patrol trucks, ballistic helmets, bullet proof vests and tactical boots among others. In addition to this, we have completed the first phase of our close circuit camera installation in security hotspots, as well as energized the Early Warning System initiated by my predecessor to drive our Safe City programme.
13. As a strategy, we adopted a bottom-up grassroots security and intelligence system, to ensure local intelligence and community involvement in security. To achieve this, I mandated all the chairmen of the Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas to hold regular security and intelligence committee meetings and to establish grassroots intelligence units in their councils. This is to ensure that we keep a comprehensive tab on the security system of our State. To ensure compliance, I also insisted that the report of such monthly security meetings, should be sent to me through the office of the Security Adviser. We are also reforming and reviewing the operations, mandate, command control and strategy of the Amotekun Corps to make it more responsive. To this end, we have reviewed the salary of the officers and men of the outfit, and a new Commander has been appointed for the Agency. The State, in collaboration with the Local Governments, will increase support to the outfit going forward.
14. The impact of this can be seen in the rapid decline in the number of reported cases of serious crimes in the State. I therefore want to express my appreciation to the security agencies, namely: the Police, the Directorate of State Security (DSS), the Army, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Amotekun and a whole lots of other community-based security organizations, for their support and dedication to duty. It is our hope that they will continue to do better to ensure we are secured at all times.
15. Similarly, I want to commend the Speaker and the Honourable Members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly for being reliable partners in our quest to ensure that our plans and policies for the transformation of our State is guided by enabling laws. Without these enabling laws, some of our greatest ambitions cannot be realized. For example, apart from the prompt screening and confirmation of persons for high Government offices, the Assembly has passed the following bills which I have assented into laws:
    i. Ekiti State Roads Fund Law:
    ii. Ekiti Rural Access Roads Authority Law
    iii. Ekiti State Wealth Fund Law, 2023
    iv. Ekiti State Local Government Staff Loans Board Law, 2023
    v. Ekiti State Fire Service Department Law, 2023
    vi. Ekiti State Local Government Administration Law 2023
16. These laws were made to provide legal frameworks to some existing organs of government and the creation of new ones. Similarly, a moment ago, before coming into this hallowed Chamber I had the honour to sign the following bills into law:
    (a) Ekiti State Sports Commission Bill, 2023;
    (b) Ekiti State Lotteries and Gaming Bill, 2023;
    (c) Ekiti State Development and Investment Promotion Agency (EKDIPA) (First Amendment) Bill, 2023;
    (d) Ekiti State Electricity Power Sector Bill, 2023;
    (e) 2023 Supplementary Appropriation Bill, 2023 .

In the last one year, we have diligently worked to consolidate the achievements of the past administration and chart new pathways for the development of our beloved state. I am grateful to the Assembly for your timely consideration of our requests at all times.

Investment Promotion:

17. One of the major objectives of this administration is employment generation and wealth creation and without doubt, the major driver of employment and wealth is the private sector investment, especially direct investment in agriculture and industrial sector.. As a State, we are very aggressive in our efforts to mobilize both foreign and domestic investors to our State. I am happy to report that Ekiti is one of five States that has consistently attracted foreign direct investment in the last five years.
18. Ekiti State has been audacious in its aspirations, and we are pleased to announce that our efforts have not gone unnoticed. We were recently ranked favourably in the ease of doing business by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PBEC) in its 2023 Sub-national Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) report. This recognition reaffirms that Ekiti is on a steady path to continued growth and development.
19. To underscore the importance of investment promotion to our government, I have constituted the Board of the Ekiti State Development and Investment Promotion Agency, under my chairmanship. In addition, I also chair the State Ease of Doing Business Council. My involvement in leading these two critical organs shows the importance we place on investment promotion, and continuous improvement in the business environment.
20. In response to the processors occupying our Agricultural Processing Zone, the Ekiti State Electricity Board is connecting the zone to the national grid to support the processing industries cited in the zone. Our belief is that the highway to prosperity and wealth creation is through value addition as opposed to exporting of raw materials, which deepens poverty. We are also working on expanding the portfolio of Fountain Holdings to invest in the extractive sector of the State. It is pleasing to know that many of our concessioned state enterprises such Ikun Dairy Farms, Ire Burnt Bricks, Ikogosi Warms Springs and Resorts, Fountain Hotels among others, are doing well. In fact, we have injected the sum of N28 million for the recapitalization of Ire Clay Products Ltd for increased performance.
    Structural Reforms in Government
21. As part of our institutional restructuring to make government more responsive and focused, we have undertaking some internal restructuring in the structure of ministries and agencies. We, have for instance, created new ministries such as Chieftaincy and Home Affairs, Ministry of Employment and Wealth Creation, Ministry of Community and Rural Development, Ministry of Innovation, Science and Digital Economy, Ministry of Training and Capacity Development and Ministry of Special Duties. Similarly, the following ministries have been restructured: Ministry of Information, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Budget, Economic Planning and Performance Management, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Arts, Culture and Entertainment Economy, Ministry of Youths Development, Ministry of Women and Social Development, and Ministry of Rural and Community Development.
22. We are coming up with some specialized agencies to undertake some direct functions which had been hitherto inadequately managed in the ministries where they were housed. To solve such challenges, have upgraded the Sports Council to a Commission to manage sports development, in fulfimment of an electoral promise; Bureau of Values Orientation to focus on citizenship and values orientation campaigns; Bureau of Tourism to focus on tourism development; and Local Content Bureau to drive our local content policy.

Administration

23. Government is doing everything to improve service delivery to our people. As as a result, extensive expansion work has been done on the main building of the extension to the Governor’s Office. Through a creative architectural ingenuity, the building has been remodeled, expanded and comprehensively rehabilitated as offices for top government officials. Similarly, the Data Centre has been upgraded to meet up with the new challenges. Also, Jibowu Hall has been given a facelift befitting of Ekiti State. The Office of Transformation, Strategy and Service Delivery has been retooled and recalibrated to ensure prompt service delivery by MDAs.
24. The old Civil Service Commission building has been rehabilitated and handed over to the judiciary to host the Ekiti State Customary Court of Appeal which was recently approved by the National Judicial Council. I am glad to report that Ekiti now has a Customary Court of Appeal to serve the need of our people especially at the grassroots and we have also procured vehicles for our Judges, in fulfillment of our promise to prioritize the welfare of judicial officers.
25. We have also undertaken critical recruitment of workers to fill some consequential vacancies in critical professional cadres in the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security; we have approved the creation of career cadre for the graduate of Banking and Finance so as to have their own career path for career progression and fulfillment, and also appointed qualified accountants to various Finance functions.
26. In response to the request of the hearing impaired persons, we have employed 20 sign language interpreters and deployed them in the places where they can service the language needs of the hearing impaired persons. Similarly, 50 temporary personnel of the Ekiti State Traffic Management Agency (EKSTMA) have been regularized into the service. We also employed People with Disabilities (PWD) during recent government recruitment exercise.
27. We have recently appointed a new Head of Service in person of Engr. Sunday Akomolafe after the retirement of the last HOS, Mr. Dele Agbede. Before then, we had appointed, through merit and competitive process, new Auditor-General of the Local Government, Statistician-General of the State, Surveyor-General of the State and Secretary of the Audit Service Commission for the Local Government. We have also appointed new 14 Permanent Secretaries to ensure that the vision and plans of Government are run by competent hands.
28. In terms of training, we have trained a wide number of staff in the civil service, especially in the local government system where some knowledge gaps existed. So far, we have trained about 1,100 staff of the Local Government Service Commission.
29. As for the welfare of our workers, we have kept to our promises. We are not owing any salaries and we have paid all deductions since we came on board. So far, we have paid over N10, 210, 792, 973.88 as monthly pension, while a total sum of N385, 000, 000:00 has been paid as gratuity at the local government level and N700million as gratuities to State’s pensioners. I have also approved another sum of N500million to be paid any moment from now for State’s pensioners. We have also made the sum of N288, 300, 000:00 available as car loans to the state public service and N267.07million as housing loans to 1, 901 beneficiaries. We have also recapitalized the Local Government Loans Board to enable the local government staff benefit..
30. Furthermore, we have implemented the financial benefits for the 2019 promotion. Just as we have promoted 1, 700 staff of primary health development agency. In order to facilitate their easy movement, government presented cars to the Head of Local Government Administration (HLAs) and Education Secretaries. Finally, we have continued the tradition of ensuring the three arms of Government are involved in revenue allocation; while also ensuring statutory functions are funded as a first line.
    Ekiti Economy
31. The economy of Ekiti state continues to hold a positive outlook in all ramifications. In November 2022, I was here to present my first budget, in spite of the very inclement national economic challenges, we are doing everything to stabilize the situation. Our 2023 Budget of Strong Beginning is a testament to our commitment to fiscal responsibility. For both first and second quarter performance analysis, we have surpassed budget expectations. As at August, 2023, we have achieved a capital expenditure performance of 60.6%, while our revenue performance stands at 100.3%. All this, under a challenging macroeconomic climate. As an administration that is committed to excellence, we acknowledge that we can do better. Rest assured that we have put critical measures in place to improve our performance in the coming months.
32. I am pleased to inform you that due to a lot of innovative ideas and strategies that we adopted, the monthly internally generated revenue of the State has seen a significant upward improvement. As an administration that is committed to excellence, we acknowledge that we can do better. Rest assured that we have put critical measures in place to improve our performance in the coming months; we have already surpassed our revenue performance for 2022, and I am confident that we will not only finish 2023 with a significant growth, we are also on track to achieve our revenue budget for the year.
33. We strongly believe in strategic planning, and have been committed to institutionalizing long-term planning for the development of our state and the good of our people. For us, a campaign manifesto is not an empty set of unimplementable promises; but a pledge to be honoured, an actionable plan to be executed, a contract with the people to which utmost fidelity is non-negotiable. This is why the six pillars were distilled into concrete policies and program ideas under different ministries and presented as the core of my administration’s inaugural Budget of Strong Beginning.
34. Our vision is to have an economy that is dominated by private sector investment and activities. We are currently one of the least industrialized states in Nigeria but we want to change this unpleasant profile. A major requirement for industrialization is land availability and regular electricity supply. While we are working round the clock to provide access to electricity and other critical infrastructure, I want to appeal to the people of Ekiti to understand that whatever progress we seek in the area of economic development, we require land, and so, there is the need for all us to cooperate with government to ensure acquisition of land is less controversial and frustrating for investors as it has been frequently experienced.
    HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT

Education

35. Ekiti people are well renowned for our love for education and learning. As a government, we are committed to keeping this legacy. Accordingly, we have kept faith with the free education policy of the state and have ensured no child is out of school because of the social economic situation of the parents. We just concluded the posting of new teachers to schools as part of effort to ensure that there are more teachers in the schools, especially in hard-to-reach places. It is gratifying that one of the teachers, again won the overall award of the Best Teachers Award nationally, the third time, that an Ekiti teacher will win the Nigeria’s Best Teacher Award. St. Louis College , Ikere also won the Award for the second time Best Public School in the country, while Miss Ajibola Flourish of St. Lawrence College, Ado-Ekiti won the National Championship in Spelling Bee Competition in the country. These are clear examples of the improvement in Education sector in the State.
36. In order to increase access to secondary school and to maintain healthy teacher-pupil ratio in our schools, we are currently building two new model schools in Ikere and Ikole, respectively . We are also addressing outstanding obligations to the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) contractors which has made many of them to return to site to deliver ongoing projects. We are also in the process of awarding contract for renovation of primary schools across the State, and will qualify for the 2023 UBEC award at the end of this year, continuing the enviable record of the immediate past administration.
37. We have also concluded another round of recruitment into both the primary and secondary schools. Five hundred (500) teachers were newly appointed into the Teaching Service Commission, while 1,500 teachers were employed into the primary school through the Universal Basic Education Board.
38. The Adolescent Girl Initiative for Learning Empowerment (AGILE) project has greatly assisted our schools in meeting some of our most pressing needs. Many classrooms have been rehabilitated across the state, just as school fencing is going on in many locations. As at now, some select secondary schools have received 2,600 computer laptops under this project.
39. In response to the rising cost of transportation, Government has made buses available to take school pupils to and from schools at no cost. We believe such an intervention will lessen the financial pressure on parents, who are already heavily burdened by the impact of inflation. Our Government has also paid the West African Examination Council (WAEC) fees for the year 2022 and 2023 School certificate Examination. Similarly, Government has spent the sum of N69, 631, 200:00 as running grants to our schools for the 2021/2022 academic session.
40. So far, a sum of N6.2 billion has been released as subventions to the higher institutions in the State. The state has paid bursary awards to 167 indigenes of Ekiti state in the Nigerian Law School. Government has also paid, on compassionate grounds, N2, 083, 400:00 as financial assistance to some fifteen vulnerable girls to complete their education. Similarly, we are currently processing bursary and scholarship payment for the 2023/2024 academic session to post graduate students of Ekiti origin.
41. We have completed the construction of e-Liberary, and perimeter fencing at the Ekiti State Polytechnic, Isan-Ekiti; while through the IDEAS grants, we have undertaken a comprehensive rehabilitation of the three Technical Colleges at Igbara-Odo, Otun-Ekiti and Ijero-Ektii respectively. The colleges are now back to functional training of skillful craftsmen and craftswomen.
    Special Schools
42. Our special schools at Ido-Ekiti, Ikere-Ekiti and Ikoro-Ekiti are receiving a renewed attention as we are renovating the dilapidated infrastructures in the schools, increase supply of consumables, employed specialized teachers and we have repaired their school buses. We hope to continue to do more to ensure the children are well taken care of. Just few days ago, I was informed that our children in Ikoro Special School had a 100% pass in NECO. On behalf of the government, I express my appreciation to both teaching and non-teaching staff in all the special schools.

Digital Skill and Youth Employment

43. We have secured the approval of Ekiti Knowledge Zone as a Free Trade Zone. With this, the zone is now ready to play its pioneering role as the leading knowledge-based economic zone. It is anticipated that this initiative will provide over 12,000 jobs for young people in Ekiti, fostering economic growth and prosperity. We expect more exciting updates on EKZ in our second year, including the formal flag off of the zone’s construction.
44. Through Ekiti State Digital Academy in partnership with Tech4Dev & Meta, we have have trained over 500 youths in digital skill across different skill sets to ensuring they are well equipped to compete in the global digital job market. The State is also leveraging on the Innovation Grant Facility of the World Bank’s Innovation Development and Effectiveness in Acquisition of Skill (IDEAS) to increase access to digital economic participation by our people.
45. The Innovation Grant Facility, a World Bank Initiative, has been launched to foster innovation and skill acquisition. Conditional grants have been disbursed to support IT-enhancement, credit/matching grants, and operational support grants. This initiative encourages entrepreneurship and innovation. Also, in partnership iUK KTN, we recently empowered digital innovators with £6,000. These partnerships create opportunities for tech-savvy individuals to develop and expand their innovative projects.
46. The Government is also taking advantage of opportunity in ICT to undertake innovative solution in the civil service operation for enhanced service delivery. We are working on a gradual digitization of government business for better record keeping, probity and efficient service delivery. It is our hope that the Assembly and other organs of Government will support us in this respect.
47. Currently, the newly created Ministry of Innovation, Science and Digital Economy is working on a vibrant digital policy for the State, to harness the digital economy potential for the teeming youths of the State. Already, Innovation Policy and Innovation Strategy Plan for the State has been drafted and being fine-tuned. Similarly, the new ministry is already designing a tech ecosystem and operational hubs for the young people of Ekiti to take advantage of the infinite job opportunity in the world of ICT.
48. The ongoing construction of the Ekiti Weaving Centre at the State Skills Acquisition Centre in Ado-Ekiti is expected to promote vocational skills development, particularly in weaving. This facility will enhance vocational training and job prospects for the youths.

Health & Human Services

49. We remain committed to health and well-being of Ekiti people. Our approach in the health sector over the last 1 year focused on building on the gains of the previous administration and expanding the frontiers of our health strategy.
50. Under our policy and strategic engagement, we developed a multi-year annual operational plan (2024-2026), to enable us plan better for capital projects that span more than a financial year and ensure we prioritize projects and activities that lend themselves towards universal health coverage. We also established the health partners coordination committee to enable us minimize duplication in efforts and streamline activities.
51. We have continued to improve the inputs for service delivery. This year, we qualified for World Bank financing to enable our Primary Health Centres (PHC) receive direct facility financing. I am happy to inform you all that 177 PHC facilities across the 16 LGAs each received the sum of N4.6m for facility upgrades. I’m aware that these funds are now being used to purchase drugs, equipment, data tools and also to carry out minor renovations across these facilities. In addition to this, we disbursed the sum of N100,000 monthly to each facility to help with basic operational requirements. A few weeks back, we also distributed antimalarial drugs, color coded bins for separating medical wastes, and other items to 200 PHCs across the 16 LGAs. Simply put, no one in Ekiti should pay for treatment of malaria in any of our PHCs any longer.
52. To expand our health insurance program, we scaled our efforts from 25 facilities to one (1) PHC in each ward across the state. With this, services such as family planning, ante-natal care, delivery, under 5 childhood illnesses are now paid for by the state. In the last 2 months (August and September) more than 49,000 persons have benefitted. I strongly encourage everyone particularly our expectant mothers to take advantage of our Ulerawa program. No one should have to pay for delivery in any of our PHCs anymore.
53. To improve the quality of our data, the ministry of health cleaned up its entire data system within the DHIS2, conducted data quality assessments, trained relevant health workers and distributed laptops to aid job productivity. Our community outreach programs continue to move in the right direction, we have for instance, conducted cervical cancer screening for more than 4,300 women of reproductive age.
54. In other to put an end to the perennial crisis relating to staff welfare in the health sector, we approved an upward review of hazard allowances for all clinical staff and also commenced the payment of a new improved salary structure for all health workers. I am very much aware this resonated well with our workers, as I have received multiple letters of commendation from national bodies and not less than 2 awards. We will continue to explore opportunities to improve staff welfare and productivity.
55. We have established a Cholera Reference Laboratories each at EKSUTH and State Specialist Hospital, Ikole-Ekiti. Similarly, Government has renovated doctors’ quarters at EKSUTH and Igede-Ekiti. In memory of my dear mother, I and my siblings are constructing a maternal and child health facility in Aramoko General Hospital where I was born. The building should be ready before the end of the year, and I look forward to commissioning it and putting it to use for the good of our people.
56. All our efforts have not gone unnoticed, for the first time ever, Ekiti in November, will host the National Council on Health – the highest decision-making body in the Nigerian health sector. The 1 week-long event will have more than 1,000 people from all over the country participating. The approval to host this event is a testament of the work we have done, and also aligns with our tourism strategy of being a destination of choice for national and regional meetings.

Social Welfare

57. Our aged and vulnerable citizens have not been left out of our programs. Through our social investment schemes, we have been addressing the needs of the vulnerable citizens by providing regular monetary support. Of particular note is our Cash Transfer Unit (SCTU) and Labour Intensive Public Works (LIPW) intervention channels. Our people have continued to receive support to lessen the burden of the harsh economic conditions.
58. As a government, we are not unaware of the cost of living challenges triggered by the removal of subsidy on petrol. We are working closely with the Federal Government to ensure that all its interventions get to our people in every corner of the state. We will ensure an inclusive system of distribution. On our part, we are rolling out interventions in multiple areas that will ease the burden on our people and provide the much-needed succour.
59. So far, we have paid N200,000,000 to 3,500 beneficiaries of Ekiti State Cash Transfer Unit. Similarly, we recruited 1 326 beneficiaries into Labour Intensive Public Works (LIPW), which pays a monthly stipend of N12, 500. We have also facilitated federal government relief material worth N50 million for the victims of natural distaste. We have commenced the monthly disbursement of N5,000.00 to 10,000 vulnerable households and this will run for three (3) months
60. Government remains committed to the well-being of the children homes such Erelu Adebayo Children Home, Iyin-Ekiti, Children Correctional Centre, Ado-Ekiti, Family Court, Ado-Ekiti, Transit Home for Abused Women and Girls, Ado-Ekiti, Women Development Centre, Igede-Ekiti. In order to mainstream our gender policies and laws, Government has continued to create awareness and organize training workshop for traditional rulers, local government officials, women groups, religious leaders, etc.
    AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
61. Our Government is committed to increase food production for economic empowerment of our people. We acknowledge the importance of infrastructure in successful agriculture practice, we have therefore, embarked on rehabilitation of some farm roads for easy transportation of farm produce. So far, over 43 kilometers of farm roads have been rehabilitated across six local government areas. They include:
    i. Apomo-Agbonkoji Road, Ode Ekiti ​​​4.8km
    ii. Osi-Ido Road, Osi-Ekiti​​​​3km
    iii. Ayebode-Eda-Ile Road​, Ayebode-Ekiti​​6km
    iv. Okuta-Orosun Road, Otun-Ekiti​​​5.6km
    v. Ilawe-Ilupeju Road, Ilawe-Ekiti​​​4km
    vi. Araromi-Aramoko Road, Ilawe-Ekiti​​6km
    vii. Temidire-Ekemode-Odoile, Ise-Ekiti​​4km
    viii. Igbo-Ewo Road, Isan Ekiti​​​​5km
    ix. Epe-Gbeyanlumi, Epe-Ekiti (Moba LGA ​​6.2km
    x. Oye-Egbo Road, Oye-Ekiti​​​​6.2km
    xi. Igbo Ewo/Ipere Omiye Road, Ipere-Ekiti​6km
    This effort has significantly improved access to farms for both farmers and potential investors.
62. Through our Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), the following roads have been slated for immediate commencement of construction after the current raining season:
    i. Enu Odi junction-Itaeku-Igirigiri Road, ​​8.4km
    ii. Omisanjana-Ben Folarin-Oke Aso Road,​​5.7k
    iii. Ikogosi-Aba Osun-Aba Oriokuta Road,​​7.2km
    iv. Oye – Are Road, ​​​​​8.77km
    v. Afolu – Odofin Road, ​​​​​1.93km
    vi. Erinmope – Irare – Ikosu Road, ​​​6.68km
    vii. Ilupeju – Igbo Egan I – Ayede Road, ​​3.10km
    viii. Ise road – Imola Road, and ​​​5.31km
    ix. Iye-Isapa-Olopomeji-Ikun Road. ​​​5. 10km
63. This is the first phase of the RAAMP project, another set will follow as work progress on the first phase.
64. Similarly, seven wet markets such as Oja Sabo, Ipoti; Eporo Produce Market, Eporo-Ekiti; Ajebamidele Market, Odooro-Ekiti; Kajola Market, Ise-Ekiti; Oja Odi, Osan-Ekiti; Oja Shahsa, Ikere-Ekiti; Oja Shasha Agri-Olope, Ado-Ekiti and Ikoro Market, Ikoro-Ekiti have been upgraded across 7 local government areas. This initiative will not only modernize the agricultural trading infrastructure but also ensures better market conditions for farmers.
65. We have provided subsidies on seeds and tractor usage, supported farmers with production assets, making it more affordable for farmers to access essential inputs. For instance, we have recorded sales of 12,000 hybrid cocoa seedlings at 50% subsidy to farmers. There are also sales of 5,000 polyclonal cashew seedlings at 50% subsidy to farmers. Cassava cuttings, maize seedlings and other farm inputs have been distributed to 6,202 beneficiaries. In addition, 1,566 farmers have also been supported with both production assets and small scale processing equipment. We have also established a model polyclonal cashew farm/scion garden at Erinfun, Ado-Ekiti; we are the first State to own this facility in the country.
66. While overhauling the poultry pens at Livestock Development Centre (LDC), we are also constructing a drainage system at the poultry site at Erifun, and ensuring steady supply of water to enhance our production. We have empowered youths in broilers production who made sales of 9,000 broilers in the first cycle. There is also the empowerment of 1631 youths and 80 People Living with Disability (PLWD) with various farm inputs and assets. We are also in discussion with Benin-Owena River Basin Authority to lease their facility in Ikere-Ekiti to expand our broiler scheme to 40,000 after a successful pilot programme at Erinfun.
67. We have made payment of the N20M counterpart fund for Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support (L-PRES), and to boost agribusiness in the state, we entered into a partnership with R-CONNECT, an Agribusiness NGO, on new farming techniques, and currently running in five pilot schools. We also partnered with SWAGCO and National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) to distribute selected agricultural inputs to farmers.
68. The government has shown responsibility by paying compensation to landowners affected by projects such as the Ikun Dairy Farms and Agbeyewa Farm land. These payments demonstrate respect for property rights and community relations. In line with our commitment to boosting palm oil production, the state has established a 6-hectare oil palm plantation at Orin Ekiti. This initiative will not only support local palm oil production but also create employment opportunities in the agricultural sector.
    INFRASTRUCTURE AND INDUSTRIALIZATION
69. Infrastructure development has been a major focus of our administration from day one; and I am glad to report that we have made some progress in this respect. We have pursued an aggressive infrastructural development across power, transport and urban development.
    Power Infrastructure
70. Our commitment to improving the power supply in the state is unwavering because we know there can be no real economic and industrial development without reliable electricity supply. More importantly, I have been personally concerned for many of our communities in Ekiti East, Ayekire and Ekiti West and other LGAs which have been without electricity for many years. I am glad to report now that we have reconnected Ijan, Ilumooba, Aisegba, Agbado, Imesi, Ode, Isinbode, Egbe, Iro-Ayeteju, Omuo, Kota, all in Ayekire/Gbonyin and Ekiti East LGA to the national grid. Similarly, we have reconnected Erijiyan, Ikogosi, Ikogosi Warm Springs and Resort and Ipole-Iloro to the grid. These communities have been without supply for almost a decade. Government is working with the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) to ensure that all outstanding issues are resolved. We are also replacing conventional streetlight lamps with solar lamps as part of our renewable energy roadmap. In Ado-Ekiti, we have rehabilitated and extended streetlight in a number of street which has improved night life business in the city and brought down insecurity.
71. We also know that our industrial dream will remain a mirage without a dedicated electricity supply to our Agric Processing Zone which is our anchor location for agriculture industrialization goal. Therefore, we have undertaken the extension of electricity from Eruku Kwara state to SAPZ in Iyemero and other adjourning communities. We have also extended electricity from Omuo-Ekiti to Eda-Ile, Ikun Oba, Araromi and Ilasa-Ekiti. We have energized the electricity lines from Ikare-Akoko in Ondo state to Egbe-Ekiti including the Egbe-dam. This will improve water supply to our people.
72. In addition to this, we will soon commence testing of the Independent Power Plant project which is expected to power government infrastructure in the capital. When completed, public buildings including: Governor’s Office, Government House, Ekiti State University, the Teaching Hospital, State Secretariat including the State Assembly; as well as street lights will be connected to the IPP line. This will provide a replicable model for attracting private capital for investment in energy projects in Ekiti State.

Transportation Infrastructure

73. Good transportation infrastructure is a sine qua non to economic prosperity. Easy movement of people, goods and services will facilitate commerce and industrial growth. So far, works are at different levels of completion in our ongoing road projects. Some of the projects include:
    ▪ Ado-Iworoko – Ifaki Road;
    ▪ Agric-Olope-Moferere Road,
    ▪ Ado-Ilawe-Igbara-Odo Ibuji Road;
    ▪ Igbara-Odo-Ikogosi Road,
    ▪ Ilawe-Igede-Road,
    ▪ Ilawe-Erinjinyan Road;
    ▪ Ikere-Ilawe-Road.
    ▪ Ikole-Ara-Isinbode Road.
    ▪ Reconstruction of failed culvert and auxiliary works Efon Alaaye
    ▪ Construction of Altas (Ajebamidele) Deeper Life-Omisanjana Road
74. In Ado Ekiti, we have done extensive improvement on the township road across many streets. Similarly, we are constructing the GRA Phase II to GRA Phase III Extension road. Many roads are slated for construction and rehabilitation in the ongoing budget recently presented to this Honourable House, with special emphasis on the Ado Ring Road project.
75. We recently inaugurated the Ado-Ekiti Central Bus Terminal, the facility will provide modern facilities for commuters and transport operators in Ado-Ekiti, and will use this as a template for improving terminal infrastructure across the State.
    Environment, Water and Sanitation
76. As an administration in tune with international best practices, and aligning local needs with global commitments, we have demonstrated a keen interest in environmental sustainability and combating climate change. To this end, we have undertaken dredging and desiltation activities to mitigate the impact of flooding. We have completed the dredging of the following:
    i.​Oreremope Community (behind Obasanjo Estate);

ii.​Olaoluwa-Omisanjana-Ureje-Alasia Community;

iii.​Ado Polytechnic Road Bridge to Emirin;

iv.​Afao Road Bridge – Oshodi;

v.​Basiri – Olorunda Area;

vi.​Crown Biz-Ayemi-Balemo-Onala;

vii.​Alasia Housing Estate (ongoing);

viii.​Tinuola-Parkview-Onala-Balemo Axis (ongoing)

77. We are also achieving remarkable progress in water supply and sanitation, leading to Ekiti’s recognition as one of the best-performing states in the Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene (SURWASH) programme. We are combating illegal deforestation and logging that depletes the state’s forest cover and contributes to climate change.
78. In our effort to make hygiene and clean water available in the rural areas, motorized borehole facilities have been provided in the following places: Aaye-Igede, Ipole Iloro, Are-Araromi in Ikere-Ekiti, Ajebamidele in Emure, Ayede-Ekiti, Ibalogun-Omu in Oye LGA, Ojorube in Ogotun Ekiti, Esun in Ikole LGA, Omuo Ekiti, Adin/Iro in Ekiti South West, Ilafon in Oye LGA, Isapa-Iye in Ilejemeje LGA, Kajola in Ise-Ekiti, Ayegbe in Omuo Ekiti among others.
79. We have also procured mobile water quality testing equipment to guarantee clean water. We have identified locations in the State that are suffering from serious ecological challenges, and will work with the Federal Government on channelization and reclamation of the damaged land. Work is expected to commence in the year 2024.

ARTS, CULTURE AND TOURISM

80. For us, arts and culture are big economic spheres that we can leverage to create jobs and generate revenue. Therefore, our disposition is to promote our culture and arts for economic benefits to the people and Government.
81. Accordingly, we have seen tremendous successes recorded by the Ekiti Performing Company, who have done us proud nationally and internationally. The company won the best cultural troupe in Nigeria and subsequently represented Nigeria in an international event held in India earlier in the year. The company has undertaken performance tour of Hungary and has just returned from a tour of Netherlands. The company has not only brought us laurels but has become a source of revenue generation to the State. We will continue to support the troupe to attain new heights and surpass previous achievements.
82. Our traditional institution remains our rallying point and the symbol of our existence as a people. We are very proud of their place in our State and will continue to do everything to ensure their well-being and dignity. Accordingly, we have completed and commissioned the new Chamber of Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers. The is a demonstration of Government’s commitment to preserving and honoring traditional institutions. The Chamber serves as a dignified venue for traditional rulers to convene and make important decisions.
83. Our administration is committed to the development of the tourism potential of Ekiti state. I am glad to report that the decision to concession Ikogosi Warm Springs and Resorts is yielding results. The concessionaire, Glocient Hospitality Ltd has turned around the fortunes of the resorts. We intend to build on the plank of the current successes to ensure Arinta Water Falls and other natural endowments are developed. We will also be looking out for more potential tourist centers in other parts Ekiti.

CONCLUSION

Mr. Speaker, as I conclude this address, I want to assure you that we remain committed to our social contract with Ekiti people. We are in a hurry to ensure an earlier realization of our dream of rapid economic prosperity of Ekiti for all. Even though we acknowledge the socioeconomic difficulties that we collectively face as a people at this time, we will do our best to continue to fulfil our aspiration.

I want to assure our workers that government is mindful of the quest for a wage increase . I therefore appeal to the labour movement to exercise more patience for us to conclude the ongoing review of the situation. We remain committed to every word of our promises to you.

GENERAL APPRECIATION

I also want to thank the leadership and members of the Legislature and the Judiciary for steering the other arms of Government in the direction of peace, progress, and justice for our dear state.

I will like to thank our founding fathers, traditional rulers, religious leaders and respected political leaders for their sound advice, guidance and wise interventions from time to time. You have been a great source of wisdom and steady leadership in this trying time.

To my party, the All Progressives Congress, and our leaders, thank you for this platform of service you have afforded me, and for your steady guidance towards the fulfilment of our party’s progressive vision for our dear state

Finally, I like to express my profound gratitude to my darling wife, H.E Dr. Olayemi Oyebanji; the Deputy Governor, Chief Mrs Monisade Christiana Afuye, House of Assembly members, Traditional Rulers, the Secretary to the State Government, Head of Service, members of the State Executive Council; and all our public and civil servants. Thank you all for your labour of laove, duty of care, personal sacrifices and patriotic service to our State.