So Many Roads Constructed by Oyebanji — Yet They Judge Him for the Ones He Hasn't Touched.

So Many Roads Constructed by Oyebanji — Yet They Judge Him for the Ones He Hasn't Touched.

By Idowu Ephraim Faleye

How do you judge a man who is fixing over 30 major broken roads, yet you accuse him for the ones he didn’t break? This is the reality Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji is facing today in Ekiti State. He’s working tirelessly, silently, consistently, and passionately building roads that make life better for ordinary people, but some still choose to judge him by the federal roads he doesn’t control.

Let’s tell ourselves the truth: when it comes to road development in Ekiti today, Governor Oyebanji has set a new standard. The roads he's building are not just about asphalt and concrete; they are about connection—connection to markets, schools, hospitals, and opportunities. From the map above, over 30 road projects that spread across every part of the state are either completed or ongoing under his watch. This isn’t noise. This isn’t PR. This is real work—real roads in real places changing real lives.

From the heart of Ado-Ekiti to the far corners of Ikole, Ijero, Emure, and Efon, BAO’s touch is visible. He’s not doing it for praise. He’s doing it because he knows what suffering looks like. He’s doing it because he believes that a government must not abandon its people, especially in something as basic as roads.

Inner-city roads are been fixed, and one policy of his government is that all township roads must have solar street lights installed from end to end upon completion. Rural roads are being opened. Roads leading to economic hubs and tourism zones like Ikogosi have been rehabilitated. New roads now connect previously isolated communities to the rest of the state. And still, people say, “What about Ado-Akure? What about Aramoko - Itawure?”

Let’s pause and be honest. Ado-Akure is a federal road. So is Ado-Ijan. So is Aramoko - Itawure. These roads belong to the federal government, not the state. But in the face of their abandonment by Abuja, did Governor Oyebanji fold his arms? No. He rose up where others gave excuses.

He didn’t just speak up, he acted. He completed the Ado-Iworoko-Ifaki Road, another neglected federal road that had caused pain for years. Four governors before him couldn’t get it done. But BAO did it without federal help, without waiting for compensation. He did it because Ekiti lives matter to him.

And because he understands that people must move, goods must move, families must move, he went a step further. He created alternative routes to federal roads that had become death traps. If you can’t ply Ado-Akure, you now have options: Ikere - Igbaraodo. - Igbaraoke - Akure or Ado - Ilawe - Igbaraodo - Igbaraoke. Heading towards Ilesha? Ado - Ilawe - Erinjiyan - Ikogosi - Efon Alaaye is now a strong backup. If you're traveling Ado-Ijan, the Ekiti State Ring Road Phase 1(ongoing) or Ikole Ara Isinbode road are your new path.

This is a man thinking ahead. This is a governor solving problems others would have politicized.

Let’s even look deeper. When the federal government finally started construction on the long-abandoned Akure-Ado road, governor Oyebanji paid over ₦400 million in compensation to affected people. Imagine that—spending state money on a federal project, simply because he couldn’t bear to see his people continue to suffer.

And when he took his complaints to Abuja, he wasn’t ignored. The Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi, publicly acknowledged Oyebanji’s efforts and the condition of the roads in Ekiti. That recognition didn’t come from nowhere—it came from the governor’s tireless push for federal attention.

Critics may pretend not to see all these. But people who travel these roads every day feel the change. Farmers who can now reach markets without their produce rotting in traffic. Students who get to school on time. Sick people who no longer die in ambulances trapped on terrible roads. This is what Oyebanji is fixing—not just roads, but lives.

And he’s not focusing only on Ado-Ekiti. Every zone—North, South, and Central—has been touched. From Ido to Igbara-Odo, from Ipole-Iloro to Omuo, from Ilawe to Ikogosi, the work is happening. Without drama. Without propaganda. Just solid, silent transformation.

This is not about politics. It’s about truth. It's about fairness. It’s about not letting ignorance or bitterness blind us to progress. When someone is doing the right thing, the least we can do is not sabotage it with unfair judgment.

So yes, there are roads he didn’t build—but let’s not forget: many of them were never his to build. And the ones he could build, he has not only built them—he’s done so with heart, with urgency, and with results that even his enemies cannot deny.

This is the governor Ekiti has been waiting for. A man who doesn’t shout. A man who doesn’t sleep. A man who works. Let us not be among those who waited decades for a saviour but failed to recognize him when he came.

Give credit where it’s due. Support progress. And let the truth be louder than propaganda. Because no matter how long it takes, history always remembers who built and who broke. And Governor Biodun Oyebanji is building—with love, with grit, and one road at a time.

Idowu Ephraim Faleye writes from Ado-Ekiti | +2348132100608.