Former governors and elder statesmen in Ekiti State have urged citizens to rally behind the administration of Governor Biodun Oyebanji as part of collective efforts to build a greater and more prosperous state.
The stakeholders made the call on Wednesday at a public hearing organised by the Ekiti State House of Assembly as part of activities marking the 30th anniversary of the creation of Ekiti State.
The hearing, themed “Ekiti at 30: Reflecting on Our Journey, Charting Our Future,” brought together former political office holders, lawmakers, technocrats and traditional stakeholders to review the state’s 30-year journey since 1996 and chart a course for its future development.
Former Governor Segun Oni, who congratulated the people on the anniversary, said Ekiti had recorded stability and growth in three decades and urged citizens to support Governor Oyebanji to consolidate on the gains and drive the state’s development aspirations.
The Speaker of the House of Assembly, Adeoye Aribasoye, said the public hearing was convened to critically interrogate the 30-year journey of the state, identify the challenges confronting it and generate practical and actionable measures for its future development.
Aribasoye said the recommendations and resolutions generated from the exercise would form part of the legislative agenda of the Seventh Assembly and provide useful guidance for future legislatures in their efforts to place Ekiti firmly on the path of sustainable development and prosperity.
According to him, 30 years of statehood represented both a major milestone and an opportunity for sober reflection.
He said: “Thirty years is both a milestone and a moment of reflection. It gives us an opportunity to look back at where we started as a state, examine the journey we have travelled, appreciate the progress we have made, acknowledge the challenges and shortcomings that have confronted us, and, most importantly, ask ourselves what kind of Ekiti we want to build in the years ahead.
“The House is particularly interested in hearing practical and constructive perspectives on the issues that matter most to the future of Ekiti. These include education and human capital development, agriculture and food security, economic transformation, technology and innovation, healthcare, infrastructure, tourism, employment and entrepreneurship, environmental sustainability, good governance, citizen participation and institutional accountability, among others.”
Delivering the keynote address, a lawyer and philanthropist, Tope Adebayo, said the ultimate measure of Ekiti’s development should not merely be the number of successful people produced by the state, but the extent to which more citizens were given opportunities to become successful.
Adebayo said Ekiti had laid important foundations during the past three decades, but stressed that the responsibility of the present generation was to strengthen those foundations and create an economy capable of generating sustainable opportunities for generations yet unborn.
Reflecting on the state’s development trajectory, he said successive administrations had contributed to Ekiti’s growth in different ways, urging citizens to view the state’s history as a continuum rather than a contest over which administration deserved the greatest credit.
He maintained that the collective responsibility of the present generation was to build on the achievements of previous administrations and create a stronger institutional and economic foundation for the future.
An elder statesman and the first Commissioner for Finance in Ekiti State, Chief Afolabi Ogunlayi, recalled the struggle that culminated in the creation of the state in 1996.
Ogunlayi said the alleged marginalisation of the Ekiti people in the old Ondo State provided the platform for the agitation for the creation of Ekiti State.
He, however, noted that the state, which faced several challenges at inception, had recorded tremendous progress over the years, particularly in infrastructure and population growth.
He called for more deliberate and coordinated efforts by stakeholders to achieve a comprehensive transformation of the state.
Speaking on the contribution of the legislature to the development of Ekiti since its creation, a former Deputy Speaker of the House, Karounwi Oladapo, stressed the importance of a harmonious working relationship between the executive and legislative arms of government.
Oladapo said such cooperation was critical to achieving the lofty ideals of the founding fathers of the state and ensuring sustainable development.
Recalling the crises and frequent changes in leadership that characterised the House of Assembly since 1999, he said the turbulent period created setbacks for the state despite the efforts of successive administrations.
He noted that improved cooperation between the legislature and executive had produced important developmental outcomes, including the process that culminated in the state’s ownership of the Ondo State University in Ado-Ekiti, which was subsequently renamed the University of Ado-Ekiti through an Act of Parliament.
The Commissioner for Finance, Akin Oyebode, said Ekiti had experienced significant economic growth over the years, particularly through efforts to diversify its economic base.
Oyebode disclosed that the state’s dependence on agriculture had declined from about 80 per cent in 2005 to 40 per cent in 2017, reflecting the gradual diversification of the economy.
He also disclosed that the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) had risen significantly from about N8 billion in 2020 to more than N50 billion annually in 2025.
According to him, the growth in IGR had enabled the state government to finance its monthly salary bill from internally generated revenue, but stressed that the government’s next objective should be to increase the revenue base sufficiently to cover the entire recurrent expenditure of the state.
Oyebode said such a development would free federal allocations received through the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) for investment in capital projects and other developmental programmes.
He said: “Ekiti’s internal revenue now covers our monthly salaries, but we must move to the next frontier where the IGR covers all the recurrent expenditure. This will mean that FAAC revenue can go solely to investment and capital projects which will have positive impacts on the people.
“I must add that over the last four years, the clear vision and shared prosperity agenda of Governor Biodun Oyebanji across all sectors, coupled with the reforms of President Bola Tinubu, have enabled states to have more funds and resources for developmental projects.”
The Vice-Chancellor of Ekiti State University, Professor Babatola Ayodele, also emphasised the importance of active citizenship in the state’s development process.
Ayodele urged Ekiti citizens across social and economic classes to participate actively in developmental initiatives rather than remain passive observers of the affairs of the state.
He said: “Active citizens are drivers of development, and development is strongest when citizens are partners, not spectators.”
The stakeholders consequently stressed the need for Ekiti to leverage its human capital, institutional strengths and economic potential to build a future in which government, citizens and the private sector would jointly drive development.
They maintained that the next 30 years should be used to deepen economic diversification, strengthen institutions, improve infrastructure and human capital, expand opportunities for young people and create an environment capable of attracting investment and retaining the state’s abundant talents.