Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji on Tuesday delivered his State Address at the Ekiti State House of Assembly Complex in Ado-Ekiti to mark four years in office and the end of his first term.
This is as he thanked President Bola Tinubu and the people of Ekiti for their support, noting that the renewal of his mandate with 85 per cent of votes cast in the June 20 election was historic.
“This renewal of the mandate of the incumbent, a first-timer to proceed directly to a second term, is the first in the history of our State,” he said, attributing it to participatory governance and accountability.
On security and governance, the governor said his administration anchored its strategy on a bottom-up grassroots intelligence system and the creation of the Agro-Marshal Corps to support Amotekun and federal security agencies. He said the result has been a drastic reduction in kidnapping and recognition of Ekiti as the most peaceful state in Nigeria.
“We have made the security of lives and property our primary responsibility,” Oyebanji said, adding that the establishment of the 148 Battalion in Ikere-Ekiti and the new 8th Brigade, plus 100 patrol vehicles and surveillance equipment in Ado-Ekiti and border communities, had improved coverage.
Speaking on public service reforms, Oyebanji listed 6,530 teachers employed in primary and secondary schools, 774 local government workers, 340 junior officers, 41 senior officers, over 600 Amotekun and Agro-Marshal operatives and 73 traffic officers.
He said his administration renovated the Assembly Complex, Executive Council Chamber, Government House, and High Court, and built new headquarters for the Ministry of Local Government and the Internal Revenue Service.
“We have paid over N36.6 billion as pension to 10,098 from October 2022 to August 2026,” he stated, noting that N11.7 billion gratuity was paid to 3,642 state retirees and N7.78 billion to 2,659 local government retirees, with all outstanding 2018 arrears cleared.
On the economy, the governor said Ekiti’s GDP moved from N2.4 trillion in 2019 to N4.6 trillion in 2023 and is now projected to near N8.8 trillion, moving the state from 33rd to 28th nationally.
He said internally generated revenue grew from N650 million to N700 million monthly in 2022 to an average of N2.6 billion monthly in 2026.
“Cumulatively speaking, we have generated the sum of N88.4 billion as IGR in the last four years,” he said, noting that the state recorded 62.13 per cent IGR growth in 2025, the fastest in the South-West, and was ranked first by BudgIT in Fiscal Transparency.
On investment promotion, Oyebanji said Ekiti was ranked number one in 2023 by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council for Ease of Doing Business and remains in the top ten. He said the state achieved all Disbursement Linked Results under the State Action on Business Enabling Reforms.
“Our efforts have not gone unnoticed,” he said, listing Ikun Dairy Farms and Ikogosi Warm Springs as thriving concessions, $80 million African Development Bank funding for the Ekiti Knowledge Zone where construction has commenced, and over N2 billion credit facilitated for 3,000 informal businesses through Access Bank, Bank of Industry and microfinance banks.
For education and health, the governor said the state paid N8.211 billion as counterpart funding to UBEC from 2022 to 2025 for renovation of classrooms, fencing and furniture, plus N1.552 billion emergency school renovations through the Bureau of Special Projects. He said his government sustained free WAEC and NABTEB fees for final-year students.
On health, he said the Ulerawa free care initiative had reached 932,311 beneficiaries.
“Ulerawa has provided services to 932,311 beneficiaries free of charge,” he said, noting that 177 primary health centres were revitalised, 12 general hospitals fully renovated, and under-five mortality fell from 95 to 44 per 1,000 live births according to the NDHS.
On women and social welfare, Oyebanji said the World Bank-assisted Nigeria for Women Project Scale-Up has commenced in five local government areas after payment of counterpart funds. He credited the First Lady’s Adire Ekiti Hub for training thousands of women and girls.
“Many women and adolescent girls from various Local Government Areas were trained in the art of Adire making,” he said, adding that the Transit Home sheltered 110 survivors of gender-based violence, 400 orphans received back-to-school support, and 150 wheelchairs, 50 clutches and other assistive devices were provided to persons with disabilities.
In agriculture and rural development, the governor said a 50 per cent subsidised tractorization scheme cleared over 10,000 hectares for 400 farmers, while 11,886 litres of agrochemicals and 3,300 bags of fertiliser were distributed.
He said about 5,000 youths are now engaged in agriculture under Bring Back Youths to Agriculture and other schemes.
“For the first time, Ekiti State has the lowest food inflation figure in 2025 according to the National Bureau of Statistics,” he said, linking it to investments like the Ilu Eye Aggregation Company, Ounje Ekiti retail outlets, and 161km of rural roads and 101 culverts built under FADAMA CARES and RAAMP.
On infrastructure and industrialisation, Oyebanji said 425.049km of roads had been constructed, including the Ekiti Ring Road Phase I, Ado-Ikere, Ikere-Igbara-Odo and Ilawe-Erijiyan link roads, while federal roads such as Itawure-Aramoko-Igede-Ado have been re-awarded.
He said the state established the Electricity Regulatory Bureau and is building transmission substations in Ikere, Ijesa-Isu and Ilupeju. On the cargo airport, he said: “The airport is already functioning and has received a great deal of enthusiastic patronage,” adding that the Instrument Landing System has been installed and CAT II lighting is underway, while the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium is undergoing comprehensive rehabilitation.
On arts, culture and tourism, the governor said his administration transformed the Ekiti Cultural Troupe into the Performing Arts Company, created the Sunday-Sunday talent show and the Arts Endowment Fund with single-digit interest for practitioners. He said the state is building an Arts and Cultural Centre with theatre, museum and gallery to create an arts ecosystem.
“As we enter the second term season, our focus will be leveraging the investment in infrastructure to jump-start Ekiti into industrial productivity and economic prosperity,” Oyebanji said, thanking the Assembly for over 25 enabling laws passed for the transformation agenda.
