In almost two years in office, Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji has raised the golden bar of governance in the state with every sector witnessing magical transformation, especially in the area of infrastructure, correspondent RASAQ IBRAHIM writes…
When Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji fondly called ‘BAO’ took over the mantle of leadership, he promised to transform the state, but not a few would have imagined what he meant by that statement. But two years down the line, the reality of the statements is beginning to dawn on many with the catalogues of ongoing projects in different parts of the state.
The governor has turned the whole Ekiti State into beehive construction activities. The presence of heavy earth-moving equipment and machine, has become a common feature across Ekiti State. Ranging from the litronic crawler excavators, compactors, cranes, pavers, to craters, the hills are being leveled, the contours sand-filled, grounds compacted and road tarred all in a bid to pave way for transformation.
Every part of the state is filled with men in hard hats and construction workers changing the faces of old structures or building new ones. From public buildings to bridges to road infrastructures (major and inner roads), the state is getting an infrastructural makeover as never before in the history of the state.
The governor is currently building new roads and bridges with streetlights and road markings, reconstructing deplorable roads, revamping healthcare centres, and renovating several schools with state-of-the-art facilities across the state. Rural areas are being opened up in a manner that would create a striking balance between urban and rural populations. The state is witnessing a magical transformation on all fronts.
No fewer than 16 road projects across the 16 local government areas of the state are under construction. These are Ado township road, the Ilawe-Ikere Road, Ado-Ilawe Road, Ikole Township Roads, Ado-Ilawe Road, Ilawe-Igede Ekiti Road, Igede-Aramoko Road, Ayegunle-Ijurin-Iloro Road, Iworoko-Are-Afao- Airport ring road.
Others are Ado-Iworoko-Ifaki Road, Ifaki-Ido Road, Imesi-Kosomolate-Ipole Road, Ikere-Ilawe Road, Igbaraodo- Ikere Road, Ikere-Ise Road, Awo-Ara-Ijero-Ekiti Road among others.
Apart from these roads, construction work has commenced on several farm roads across the 16 local government areas including the Enu Odi-Igirigiri Road, Omisanjana-Ben Folarin-Oke Aso Road, Ise-Imola Road, Owode-Anaye Road, Oye- Are Road.
Others are Afolu-Odofin Road, Ilupeju-Igbo Egan Road, Iye-Isapa-Olopemeji-Ikun Road, Erinmope-Irare-Ikosu Road, Igbole-Egan-Osi-Iropora road, FMS Farm-Oke Ako Road, Ikogosi-Aba-Ori Okuta-Ikogosi Road and Ara-Ekameta school Road.
Similarly, the deplorable federal roads linking Ekiti State with the neighbouring states are currently under revitalisation to ease the hardship faced by transporters and commuters.
Ekiti state may soon attain the status of a megacity once the strategically outlined urban renewal programmes and policies are fully implemented and the ongoing developmental projects spread across sectors are completed.
Since he assumed office, the governor has exceptionally performed beyond the expectation of many, changing negative perceptions and shaming pessimists at the same time without making any noise. Many social commentators have opined with conviction that Governor Oyebanji is walking the talk in Ekiti state.
His imprints are everywhere. From Ado to Ijero-Ekiti, Ikere-Ekiti, Ikole-Ekiti, Ilawe-Ekiti, Ido-Ekiti Aramoko, Ifaki-Ekiti, Omuo-Ekiti, Oye-Ekiti among other places, the people are genuinely feeling the impacts of the Oyebanji’s purposeful leadership.
Everyone who has followed the trajectory of his administration will agree that he hit the ground running with a frenetic pace from the first day in office. He is not only fixing roads and bridges, institutions are being reorganised for effective service delivery, and rural areas are being opened up for development and interconnected for easy access.
Oyebanji has been a toast of the people in the past two years.
He has taken governance in the state to greater heights to the admiration of the Ekiti people and the chagrin of his traducers who never saw anything good in the policies and programmes of his administration.
Apart from being disruptively innovative and creative, Oyebanji is very proactive, assertive, and decisive. Once he has his eyes on the ball, he doesn’t give in to undue pressure and armchair criticism. His leadership style has quietly disrupted the status quo, a development that is gradually enthroning the politics without bitterness and governance that is anchored on developmental agenda in the state.
He is very at home with virtually all well-meaning sons and daughters of the state ranging from his former predecessors, Kayode Fayemi, Ayodele Fayose, Segun Oni, and Adeniyi Adebayo to traditional rulers, opposition leaders, civil servants, students, market women, and transport union leaders. No one else has achieved such level of camaraderie in the political history of the state.
Anywhere the governor goes in the state, the people of Ekiti troop out to shout ‘Mr. Project’, his new sobriquet. This again played out last Monday when he unveiled three road projects in different locations in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.
The roads were the Jimoh Aliu-Adewumi Road along the Adebayo Area, the Hospitals Management Board/Doctors’ Quarters Road; and Obisesan-Oke Ala Link Road along the Basiri Area of Ado-Ekiti.
The unveiling of the road projects in the three locations was turned into carnivals by euphoric and appreciative residents, landlords associations, transport union members, community and religious leaders, youths, and students of the three communities where the roads unveiled were located.
The jubilation could not be masked after enduring long periods of abandoned roads which made both human and vehicular movement difficult for the residents. For many years, they used to pray for rain not to fall. Their reason was simply because of the derelict state of the roads in the communities.
But now, the story is different. Signs that a new lease of life beckons for residents of the three areas were noticed first when earthmoving equipment was mobilized to project site. So excited were they to see the three roads asphalted with stone-based and drainages on the two sides of the roads.
The new three roads were also complemented with solar-powered street lights to facilitate illumination and boost nightlife.
The members of the three communities were in a festive mood as the roads were inaugurated. House owners, private and commercial vehicle drivers, and commercial motorcyclists rolled out drums to sing and praise Governor Oyebanji for spreading development to inner neighbourhood.
The Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Rufus deyemo Adejugbe cut the tape declaring one the Jimoh Aliu – Adewunmi Road; while the Hospitals Management/Doctor Quarters Road was inaugurated by the Governor himself. The Obisesan-Oke Ala link Road was commissioned by Chief (Mrs) Ronke Okusanya, an elder stateswoman who resides on the street.
Inaugurating the road projects, r Oyebanji described the road projects as another testament to his administration’s development agenda of transforming the state.
The governor said the inauguration of the newly asphalted roads reflected the resolve of his administration to provide good infrastructure delivery to improve residents’ living conditions and enhance both vehicular movement and aesthetics of the capital city.
The governor said that the project was another fulfillment of his promise, adding his administration will continue to give priority to infrastructural development as the cornerstone of the Share prosperity Agenda.
Oyebanji revealed that no fewer than 16 road projects are ongoing in different parts of the state in addition to the comprehensive renovation of 11 general hospitals across the state.
The governor said the communities have crucial roles to play in the maintenance and longevity of the new roads by not blocking the drainage with refuse which could render the roads waterlogged and thereby damaging the roads.
Unveiling his administration’s plan for for Ado Ekiti New City Project, the governor said the new city project which would be a well-planned and structured residential neighborhood that exist side by side with a traditional section of the state capital.
He explained that the ongoing Ring Road project which links Iworoko Road with the International Agro Cargo Airport was embarked upon to develop new areas with the long-term emergence of a new city where development is controlled without altering the Ado-Ekiti traditional setting.
He said the project would cement the enviable status of Ado-Ekiti as a rapidly developing metropolis and deeply entrench modernity in the state capital while still maintaining its status as an ancient city.
He said: “The completion of these roads is another milestone in our efforts to transform Ekiti into an economically vibrant and socially inclusive region. These roads will serve as crucial artery for commerce, linking businesses, markets, residential areas, and health facilities. It will reduce travel time, lower vehicle operating costs, and provide a smoother, safer journey for all road users.
“Our commitment to the development of Ekiti state is unwavering. We are not just building roads, we are building a future where every citizen has the opportunity to thrive. We are creating a state where the quality of life is high, business can flourish and our children can grow up with the best opportunities available to them.
“These roads are more than just physical structures. They are a symbol of our collective effort to build a better Ekiti state. We are proud of this achievement and I want to thank the contractors, engineers as well as workers who worked tirelessly to deliver these projects,” he added.
The Special Adviser/ Director General, Office of Transformation and Service Delivery, Dr. John Ekundayo, lauded the governor for his uncommon leadership style which he said has brought massive transformation to the state..
Ekundayo said Governor Oyebanji in the last two years has made giant strides in all sectors including infrastructure, education, health, and agriculture, among others.
He stated that the current administration has embarked on several developmental projects across the 16 local government areas with several nearing completion and many others progressing rapidly.
He said that the inauguration of these roads was a great milestone and a big relief for benefitting communities in the state that had been battling with poor road networks for many years.
Ekundayo who described the three road projects as an audacious move towards achievement of infrastructural renewal and development, said this had further strengthened the trust of the people in the present administration.
He added that the inauguration of the road network was another fulfillment of the Governor Oyebanji-led administration’s promise to Ekiti people, noting that the road projects had changed the face of road infrastructures in the State.
The Special Adviser/ Director General explained that the roads have brought not only traffic improvement to the state capital but also huge economic value to the benefitting communities.
Ekundayo added further that with the successful completion of the three inner road networks, there had been a reduction in the frustration hitherto experienced by residents of the communities.
“There’s no doubt that Mr. Governor is showing uncommon leadership, focus determination, and willpower to deliver even in the face of limited resources available to him. He has remained undeterred and unwavering.
“His Excellency, signed a social contract with the people of Ekiti before the 18th June 2022 election with the declaration of his six Strategic Actionable Pillars; and right from his inauguration as governor on 16th October 2022, the administration has left no stone unturned in investing in infrastructural development to reduce travel time, boost economic activities and interconnect our towns, villages and farmsteads in Ekiti.
“The unveiling of these network of road projects today is significant because it demonstrates the commitment of this administration in its determination to continually energise the local economy by providing essential infrastructure that would further promote economic growth and development across the nooks and crannies of the state.
“These important roads will alleviate many issues and hardships in the benefiting communities by easing free-vehicular movement. It will equally boost local commerce and also improve quality of life for residents,” he added.
The Director, Civil Engineering in the Ekiti State Ministry of Works, Engineer. Tope Fatukasi expressed satisfaction with the roads, saying the projects were executed in line with global best practices.
He said, “All the roads are stone-based. So definitely the longevity of the road has been increased. In the next 20 years, we don’t expect to do any work on the road. Moreover, the contractor is to have a year maintenance period.
“These road projects have line drains to drain off the runoff. Obviously, those are the problems that we normally incur and we have arrested the situation. So, in the next 20 years, the road will still be there,” he added.
The Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe lauded Governor Oyebanji for his giant strides, noting that the love the people of the state have for him and his administration is unprecedented because “he has been performing very well to the admiration of the people.”
Oba Adejugbe said he was not surprised that Vice President Kashim Shettima recently described him as the type of governor Nigerians need, and also rallied more support for him as he nears the midterm of his administration.
