FOR ADB MEDIA TEAM, LIES AND MISCHIEF WONT TAKE YOU ANYWHERE.

FOR ADB MEDIA TEAM, LIES AND MISCHIEF WONT TAKE YOU ANYWHERE.

Our attention has been drawn to a poorly rehashed post by a group that calls itself ADB media team which is understood to be working for a serial governorship aspirant, Mr Dare Bejide.

We would have ignored the highly childish and misleading post but there is a compelling need to respond because the post is riddled with falsehood, mischief and a futile attempt to incite the people against an administration that is fully exercising the mandate given to it to better their lots.

The group alleged in the post that Ekiti State Governor, His Excellency Biodun Oyebanji has deliberately left the major roads in the state in ruins, abandoned his official duties for which he was elected and has allegedly been distracted by his bid for endorsements for a second term in office.

This attention seeking gimmick is an evidence that Bejide and his traducers  are blind, deaf and disconnected from realities on ground in a desperate bid to re- launch his epileptic governorship aspiration. 

Contrary to their insipid falsehood, Governor Oyebanji is working hard with the popular mandate overwhelmingly given to him by the Ekiti electorate in 2022 and there are enough incontrovertible proofs and evidences to show for it.

Infrastructure development is a key sector where the Governor has made impact in the last three years and road construction, reconstruction and rehabilitation have been on the front burner of his quest for ease of transportation and attraction of investment.

It is on record that a total of eighteen (18) rural roads with an estimated value of approximately ₦17.2 billion are either  being rehabilitated or recently constructed under the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP) programme in a bid to ensure access to farmsteads and easy evacuation of farm produce and provision of amenities to rural dwellers.

Besides, seven State roads various axis of the state are either completed or ongoing, as alternatives to  dilapidated and must-be-fixed federal roads, to allow travellers  and commuters to reach Ado Ekiti, the state capital, from places like Lagos, Ibadan and from the Northern part of the country. 

These include Iwaraja-Efon-Ikogosi-Erijiyan-Ilawe-Ado Road, Igbara Oke-Igbara Odo-Ilawe-Ado Road, Iwaraja-Efon-Ikogosi-Erijiyan-Ilawe-Igede-Iyin-Ado Road, Omuo-Isinbode-Ara-Ikole-Oye-Ifaki Road, Omuo-Isinbode-Ikole-Igbemo-Afao-Ado Road, Akure-Igbara Oke-Igbara Odo-Ilawe-Ado Road and Ikere-Igbara Odo-Igbara Oke-Akure Road.

Besides, a total of 34 state roads are either completed or ongoing and these include township roads and roads that connect various towns and communities in the state boosting the existing infrastructure in the hinterland.

It amounts to hypocrisy, mischief and petty politics to accuse the Oyebanji Administration of abandoning federal roads, when in actual fact the same government has fixed the Ado-Iworoko- Ifaki Ekiti road which is a federal road. 

Perhaps a little enlightenment will suffice here for the ADB team should they be ready to be tutored. 

The Federal Government has six major roads in the state. While the state Government has reconstructed the Ado- Iworoko- Ifaki road, the Federal Government has also awarded the Ado- Ijan- Aisegba- Omuo road, the Kogi- ikole- Ifaki road; and the Ado- Ikere- Akure road. 

Efforts are also ongoing to ensure the remaining two roads I.e Itawure- Aramoko- Igede - Iyin road and the Ifaki - Kwara border road are awarded. 

Only recently the BAO administration paid about N400 million naira as compensation to owners properties that were demolished for the construction of the Ado-Ikere- Akure road as its contribution to the construction of the road, despite being a federal road. 

Governor Oyebanji, through the diligent implementation of the six-pillar agenda of his administration, has transformed the state to an investment destination, generated thousands of direct and indirect jobs and has continued to work hard to take Ekiti to a higher pedestal of development.

This has been acknowledged with many awards for the Governor and top ratings received by his administration from federal agencies, development partners, transparency groups, international agencies, policy watchdogs, the media. The President, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, GCFR even attested to this  on his X handle earlier in the week.

The endorsement of Governor Oyebanji by the people of Ekiti State for another term was earned by his excellent performance and no vituperations of a rag-tag opposition cannot obliterate the landmarks of a performing administration from the hearts of the people.

One is baffled that someone aspiring to a governorship seat does not understand simple protocols of governance nor the difference between state and federal roads. Or how do you expect a state government to start working on federal roads that have already been awarded to contractors? As How… ? 

Our advice to Mr Bejide and his gang of mischief makers: Go take a short course in inter- governmental relations. Then, school your followers on good conduct and public mannerism. 

Lastly, like our people will say: ARIWO KO NI MUSIC…!