From Priscilla Ediare, Ado-Ekiti
Residents of Ekiti State have commended the Governor of the state, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, for his giant strides in infrastructure, education, economic among others in the state.
According to them, the governor has performed creditably well and fulfilled most of his electioneering promises in less than two years in office.
They gave the commendation during a media tour which saw the General Managers of broadcasting stations in the state, other media professionals (print, electronic and online) and members of the State Executive Council visit the project sites for the ongoing and completed projects across the three senatorial districts of the state on Thursday and Friday.
The Commissioner for Information in the state, Rt. Hon. Taiwo Olatunbosun, said the media tour was embarked upon to show the people of the state what the government is using their taxes to do and to showcase what he called “the remarkable achievements of the Oyebanji Administration.”
Olatunbosun said the tour was also carried out for the media professionals to communicate what they see on ground to the populace, dispel possible misconceptions and insinuations and also share insights on the development that led to the policies, programmes and projects embarked upon by the administration.
During the two-day tour, the media executives and practitioners asked the state cabinet members heading the supervisory ministries, departments and agencies and contractors handling the projects several questions on the level of work done, quality, delivery dates, total costs of the projects, among others.
Some of the completed projects inspected during the media tour included the Model Smart School at Ekiti Knowledge Zone in Ijan Ekiti; renovation of dining hall and construction of therapy room at the Special School in Ido Ekiti; 100-capacity hostel at Command Secondary School, Isan Ekiti; ICT Centre and Catering Department at Government Technical College, Igbara Odo; renovated classrooms and ICT Centre at Corpus Christi College, Ilawe Ekiti and GRA 3rd Extension Road in Ado Ekiti.
Ongoing projects inspected included Isinbode-Ara-Ikole Road, Ilukuno-Ayegunle Road, Itapa-Omu-Ijelu Road, Ilawe-Ikere Road, Igbara Odo-Ikere Road, Erekesan Market interior-Ewi Palace Link Road, Ado Ekiti New Town Housing Estate, Ado Ekiti Ring Road Phase One, Indoor Sports Hall and International Centre for Arts and Culture, channelization of drainages at Temidayo area in Ilawe Ekiti, renovation of General Hospital in Ijan Ekiti, Faglo-Olorunsogo Road, Ado Ekiti, among others.
The Information Commissioner who commended the media houses for being reliable partners with the state government explained that the tour has armed them with much information needed to disseminate to the populace on what is being done to make life easier for them.
“We conceived this media tour to communicate directly with the media people such that they can see some of the remarkable achievements of the BAO Administration across Ekiti covering all the six developmental agenda, the pillars.
“We believe that by you coming around with the exco, when you see you can be able to disseminate what you see to the people of Ekiti directly. We equally want to use the opportunity to dispel possible misconceptions and insinuations and also share insights.
“It is also our belief that it will make you to have confidence in what we speak to when addressing issues that border on development, fiscal issues, appropriations and other governance activities in Ekiti State.
“We also take you along to see directly where we are putting the tax payers’ money particularly in the areas of quality and choice of projects we have done which had impacted meaningfully on the lives of the people.
“Apart from trying to revolutionize mechanized agricultural development, we are also trying to ensure that we network Ekiti and turn it to centre of industrial development such that Ekiti can be a destination of choice for investors.
“I appreciate our respected media professionals for coming this long with us. You have seen by yourselves what this Administration has done which are products of what the people requested for which the government is giving to them to give them better standard of living.
“And I now believe strongly and you will agree with me that most of the things we have been talking about are real practical things we have done and are speaking to the progress, development and changing the game on Ekiti an turning Ekiti to a better, greater and egalitarian society we can all be proud of.”
The Commissioner for Education in the state, Mrs Adebimpe Aderiye, said the current administration in the state, in addition to infrastructure, is also doing remarkably well in the area of education, as it has continued to provide quality and affordable education and empowerment for students in the state.
Aderiye disclosed that over 2,000 indigent secondary school students, across the 16 Local Government Areas of the state, have benefitted from Governor Oyebanji’s conditional money transfer, aimed at assisting them in their education..
In his remarks, the state’s Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Prof. Rasaki Ojo Bakare, appreciated the Governor for his efforts at making Ekiti a hub for tourists as well as friendly to investors.
He explained that the International Centre for Arts and Culture would boast of an arts theatre for performances, an event hall, a gallery of modern arts and craft, an artistes’ camp, a research library and a museum.
He further explained that the Centre being built with the aim of attracting grants from the international agencies like UNESCO would also be used to boost tourism and generate revenue.
Speaking on the Indoor Sports Hall, Technical Advisor on Sports Development, Dr. Olusola Osetoba, said the project is a big statement from Governor Oyebanji to provide facilities to place the state on national, continental an global sporting map.
She noted that the indoor sports hall, when completed, can be used for nothing less than 16 sports including basketball, handball, table tennis, squash, badminton, gymnastics, boxing, wrestling, among others
Speaking on the benefits of some of the projects when completed, the cabinet members said they were carefully conceived in line with the six-pillar agenda of the Oyebanji Administration to enhance the standard of living of the people, attract investors and tourists and to generate revenue into the state coffers.
Special Adviser on Housing and Mortgage Development, Mr. Gboyega Oloniyo, disclosed that the Ado Ekiti New Town Housing Estate was embarked upon to make shelter available to people at home and those in Diaspora who intend to own property in organized and planned environment.
Oloniyo revealed that the estate being constructed on a 60 hectares of land would be equipped with facilities like a 100-room hotel, a police station, a filling station, a mini stadium, an amusement park, among others for the comfort of the would-be residents.
Speaking in an interview with some of residents of the benefitting communities, they expressed appreciation to Governor Oyebanji, noting that the projects would boost their socio-economic activities as well as better their living conditions.
They used the medium to declare their support for the Governor, with a promise to re-elect him for a second term in office to continue the giant strides in the state.
