Odun Ayeni Rallies Support for Governor Oyebanji, Launches Empowerment Scheme.

Odun Ayeni Rallies Support for Governor Oyebanji, Launches Empowerment Scheme.

The Special Adviser to the Governor of Ekiti State on Governance, Barr. Odunayo Ayeni has called on party members to rally behind Governor Biodun Oyebanji, emphasizing the need for unity and commitment to sustain the administration’s developmental strides.

Ayeni made the call during a gathering of All Progressives Congress (APC) members from Wards One and Two in Ikole West LCDA, where he outlined the achievements of the Oyebanji-led government. He urged members to remain steadfast in their support to ensure the governor’s re-election for another term.

Addressing party faithful, Ayeni described the meeting as a platform to engage grassroots members, update them on the administration’s progress, and give back to the community. He emphasized the need to strengthen party structures at the local level, noting that Governor Oyebanji’s leadership has brought remarkable progress to Ekiti State.

As part of his commitment to grassroots empowerment, Ayeni launched a support initiative for party members, awarding cash gifts to over 40 dedicated APC members. He also announced plans to establish a food bank in the two wards to assist the aged and vulnerable. Additionally, he pledged to sponsor ten young women—five from each ward—for Adire-making training at the Adire Ekiti Hub in Ado-Ekiti, with a startup package to help them set up their businesses.

Party leaders at the event took turns to commend Governor Oyebanji’s leadership, describing his administration as a model of development and good governance. They urged members to remain loyal to the APC and continue supporting the state government.

Among the dignitaries present were Senator Cyril Fasuyi (representing Ekiti North Senatorial District), Ch. S.A. Abegide (party leader), the Chairman of Ekiti State Local Government Service Commission, Barr. Adeyeye (APC Legal Adviser in Ekiti State), and local council chairpersons including Mrs. Mosunmola Adeyemo (Ikole-West LCDA), Ch. Adebayo Ajayi Abass (Kajola LCDA), and Prince Michael Ogungbemi (Ajoni LCDA).

Also in attendance were Hon. Olusola Ajisola (Special Assistant to the Governor on Rural relations), Mr Olubayo Arowolo (Special Assistant on FADAMA), Hon. Akinlabi Idowu (Chairman, Ekiti State Forestry Commission), Hon. Olusola Olominu (Chairman, State Multi-purpose Credit Scheme), Hon. Kayode Ogunsakin (immediate past Chairman, Ikole West LCDA), and the APC Women Leader in Ikole Local Government, Olori Oluyemi Bosede; Ch. Mrs Bukola Idowu; Hon Amos Arowosafe; Women and community groups.

The meeting also witnessed the welcoming of new defectors into the APC, with the party emblem formally presented to them. Senator Cyril Fasuyi donated generously to attendees, further strengthening party unity.

Oyebanji Restates Commitment to Education Policies That Address Societal Needs.

Oyebanji Restates Commitment to Education Policies That Address Societal Needs.

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji has restated the commitment of his administration to implementing education policies that are designed to meet society needs and equip students with practical skills for real-world challenges.

The Governor stated this in his office at the weekend, while receiving a delegation from South Korea, led by the Koika Deputy Country Director, Mr Baik Ki-Hyyn, who was in the state for an in-depth survey of the Smart School Project in the State, 

According to a statement made available to journalists in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday by the Special Adviser on Media to the Governor , Mr Yinka Oyebode, Governor Oyebanji said his administration is strategically leveraging on smart technology in education to equip students with the needed skills, enhanced critical thinking and creativity to become solution providers, and ensuring that graduates in the state are well prepared to tackle contemporary challenges and contribute to the overall development of the state and the country at large.

Governor Oyebanji thanked the South Korean Government for the partnership, stressing that his administration has invested hugely in education not only for literacy and numeracy but for actual human capital development, making citizens globally competitive in productivity.

The Governor added that his government would continue to do everything possible to ensure that the state remain a leading state in smart technology for education at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of learning in the country.

“We appreciate Koika for the partnership with UBEC that birthed the smart schools in Ekiti State. Education is our main industry, we are one of the most educated states in the country and we also have an abiding duty to ensure that we sustain that prime place in the country.

“If you look at the six pillars of our administration, you will see human capital development in number three and since we came on board, we have been deliberate in our intervention in that sector because we believe that education owns the key to development and growth and there is no alternative to knowledge.  

“We also believe strongly that our education strategy and policy must address literacy and numeracy and they must also respond to the needs of the society”, the Governor asserted.

Earlier in his remarks, the Head of Delegation and Koika Deputy Country Director, Mr Baik Ki-Hyyn, commended the Governor for his commitment to advancing education through innovative policies. He said Ekiti State had been exceptional among the six states chosen for the project which was launched in 2021.

The Country Director lauded the efforts of the state government in the education sector, noting that South Korean Government would be happy to embark on the second phase of the intervention under the Universal Basic Education Board in order to improve the capacity of the current schools as well as facilitate the reach to underserved and rural areas.

Top government officials at the meeting include the Chief of Staff, Mr Niyi Adebayo, Commissioner for Education, Dr (Mrs) Olabimpe Aderiye, Chairman, SUBEB, Prof Femi Akiwunmi, SUBEB Commissioner for Human Resources Management, Dr (Mrs) Olufunke Fajobi, SUBEB Commissioner for Project Management, Dr Kayode Adeoye, among others.

EKSU VC Hails Oyebanji on Silverbird Man of the Year Award.

EKSU VC Hails Oyebanji on Silverbird Man of the Year Award.

By Olamide Akinwumi 

The Vice Chancellor of Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado-Ekiti, Professor Babatola Ayodele, has congratulated Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji on his recognition as the Silverbird Man of the Year 2024 by Silverbird Television.

Describing the award as “timely and well deserved,” Ayodele commended Governor Oyebanji’s “genuine commitment towards the overall development of Ekiti State.”

The Vice Chancellor noted that Governor Oyebanji’s governance style and transformative agenda have earned him recognition beyond Ekiti State, culminating in the prestigious award.

While appreciating the management of Silverbird Television for finding Governor Oyebanji worthy of the honour, Ayodele urged him to remain focused on his developmental vision for the state.

He further assured Governor Oyebanji of the university management’s “unalloyed loyalty” to his administration, particularly in light of Governor Oyebanji’s interventions aimed at repositioning Ekiti State University, his alma mater.

The statement, signed by Bode Olofinmuagun, Head of EKSU’s Directorate of Information & Corporate Affairs, was released to the media on Friday.

Ekiti State Government Celebrates International Forest Day 2025 with Grand Event Focused on "Forests and Food".

Ekiti State Government Celebrates International Forest Day 2025 with Grand Event Focused on "Forests and Food".

The Ekiti State Forestry Commission, under the leadership of Executive Secretary Otunba Adekunle Sunday David, hosted an impressive celebration for the International Day of Forests 2025. The event, themed "Forests and Food," took place at the Commission's office in Ado-Ekiti and was attended by notable dignitaries and representatives from various sectors.

In her address, Dr. Folakemi Olomojobi, the Head of Service representing the Ekiti State Governor, expressed her gratitude for being part of this significant occasion. She acknowledged the global importance of forests, emphasizing their crucial role in sustaining life on Earth and their myriad benefits, including biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. 

"The theme 'Forests and Food' highlights the interconnectedness of our ecosystems and the essential relationship between forests, food security, and sustainable development," she stated. Olomojobi underscored that forests are vital not only for timber and other resources but also for supporting livelihoods and contributing to food and water security for millions.

Among the attendees were Rt. Hon. Taiwo Franklin Olatunbosun, Commissioner for Information, and Mr. Ojo Babatope, Permanent Secretary of Agriculture and Food Security. Hon. Oladele Ogunsakin, Vice Chairman of the House Committee on Environment, also addressed the gathering, commending the state's efforts in sustainable forestry practices. He praised Governor Biodun Oyebanji's six-pillar agenda aimed at transforming Ekiti State and ensuring a safe and healthy environment for its citizens.

"The protection of our forests is paramount," Ogunsakin remarked. "Together, we must reaffirm our commitment to sustainable forest management and actively participate in afforestation and environmental conservation."

Several non-governmental organizations advocating for restoration and sustainable forest management, including GADEF and TGED, also attended the event, reinforcing the call for collective action in safeguarding forest resources.

In his closing remarks, Otunba Adekunle Sunday David expressed appreciation for the governor's unwavering support towards the Commission's initiatives. He highlighted the importance of forests as essential resources for both the environment and revenue generation for the state. The Executive Secretary announced that the Commission would provide 100 seedlings to each participating school as part of an awareness campaign aimed at instilling the value of forestry in younger generations.

David lamented the adverse effects of overlogging and the resultant environmental degradation in areas like Oke-Ako in Ikole-Ekiti. He underscored the need for collaborative efforts to address the challenges of deforestation and its impact on local communities.

As part of the celebration, the Governor presented trees to invited secondary schools, including Christ School, Ado Muslim College, St. Augustine Oye-Ekiti, and SUBEB Nursery and Primary School, Ado-Ekiti, fostering a spirit of environmental stewardship among the youth.

The event underscored the critical role of forests in a sustainable future and emphasized the collective responsibility of individuals, communities, and government to protect and restore these invaluable resources. 

"Let's work together to keep Ekiti working, embracing the theme of the day and taking actionable steps to promote sustainable land use practices," Olomojobi concluded, encouraging participants to celebrate and protect the forests for generations to come.

Ekiti Wealth Creation and Employment Program: Commissioner Solicits Support of Tertiary Institutions for Oyebanji's Youth Empowerment Programmes.

Ekiti Wealth Creation and Employment Program: Commissioner Solicits Support of Tertiary Institutions for Oyebanji's Youth Empowerment Programmes.

…..says data collation exercise to enhance planning and execution of program.

Ekiti State Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Otunba Kayode Fasae has solicited the support of Tertiary Institutions for the success of the ongoing data collation exercise for youths and active citizens in the State.

Otunba Fasae who made the call while on courtesy visits to the Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Oye Ekiti ( FUOYE), Prof. Abayomi Fasina and the Rector, Ekiti State Polytechnic, Isan Ekiti, Dr. Osinkolu Ajeigbe in their offices, said the collection of data was designed to enhance planning and execution of various programs aimed at creating wealth and employment opportunities.

Fasae explained that students of higher institutions who are captured in the data collation exercise would be eligible to benefit from youth empowerment programmes and other different business opportunities being facilitated by the State Government provided.

He highlighted the benefits of registering during the exercise to include eligibility for selection in the proposed Ekiti State Government /Wema Bank Plc training of 100,000 artisans and youths in financial management, trade and vocations.

Fasae also identified other Government  programmes that students could benefit from to include the  Agency banking programme which would expand banking services to the unbanked areas of the state and  the proposed Ekiti State Employment Trust Fund (ETF)  which Governor Biodun Oyebanji had promised to set aside  a yearly start up loan of N1billion   to support eligible Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the State .

He disclosed that Students of Ekiti origin in tertiary institutions are also eligible to register under the Labour Market Information System ( LMIS) which is an essential basis for employment for job seekers stressing that very soon a Public Private Dialogue ( PPD) would be held.

In their separate remarks, the heads of the two Tertiary institutions commended the Oyebanji Administration for coming up with policies that will benefit youths in  the State.

The FUOYE VC, Prof. Fasina lauded the present administration for the wonderful initiatives through youth development and job creation stressing that youths must be empowered with vocational skills. 

Prof. Fasina however appealed to government and corporate organisations to motivate and engage the youths/ students in Agribusiness, Information Communication and Telecommunications (ICT) and other lucrative business opportunities to bring out the best in them.

The Rector of Ekiti State Polytechnic Isan-Ekiti, Dr. Ajeigbe who described youths  as the strength of any nation ,said his  institution is ready to key into the lofty ideas of the ministry. 

Dr. Ajeigbe said the State  Programmes highlighted by the Commissioner were in tandem with the main objectives of the Polytechnic  to  produce  graduates with sound academic background with vocational skills that would make them  self reliant and create  job for others

Oyebanji Flags off Construction of Dormitories in Ekiti Farm Settlements to Buoy Food Supply.

Oyebanji Flags off Construction of Dormitories in Ekiti Farm Settlements to Buoy Food Supply.

...Warns youth against having ill-feelings about farming.

In a bid to push Ekiti State to a sustainable food security status and make farming highly captivating to the youth, Governor Biodun Oyebanji has flagged off construction of dormitories in all the farm settlements operating in the state. 

Oyebanji posited that the policy will make the state the food basket of the nation, besides generating employment for myriad of youth population, who had before held the conservative view that farming was a non-lucrative venture.

Oyebanji, who spoke in Eporo Ekiti, on Thursday, while laying the foundation for the construction of the Renewed Hope Farm Dormitories, said the project will help in checking astronomic increase in the prices of food items, when the products are available in all markets. 

The governor, who was represented by his Deputy, Chief Mrs. Monisade Christianah Afuye, said the dormitories will be fitted with modern accessories and basic amenities that will make the youth farmers to be fully residential inside the farms, saying food production is the pivot on which the economy thrives.

He assured the youth farmers operating in the state that the project will be replicated in other areas designated as Farm Settlements, like; Oke Ako, Eporo, Aramoko and Ikere communities, where cluster farming is being undertaken. 

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The Ekiti's number one citizen, was enthralled with the spiralling level of food production being enjoyed in the state since the commencement of cluster farming initiative which facilitated  productive engagement of about a thousand of youth in farming.

In an exhilarating fashion, Oyebanji announced that the youth farmers made over N200 million income in the last farming season, thereby propelling Ekiti's economy to a sustainable pedestal. 

"The project we are beginning today represents a vision turning into reality, it represents our collective dreams, our commitment to progress, and our dedication to building a better future generations to come.

"A project of this scale reflects the power of unity and shared ambition. It is a testament to what can be achieved when vision meets action. With this first step,  we embark on a journey that will leave a lasting impact, fostering growth and development.

"As we move forward in our zeal to achieve food security status, let us remain focused and encourage our citizens, particularly the youth, to always perceive farming as a noble and profitable vocation. 

"With this mindset, our economy will improve through adequate food production, income earnings and employment generation that will reduce poverty index in our land".

Earlier in his submission, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Mr. Ebenezer Boluwade, described the programme as a game changing policy in the food production initiative at the subnational level that will reignite interest in farming.

Boluwade applauded Governor Oyebanji for his vision in the agriculture sector, assuring that all the policies geared toward making the state abundant in food production shall be executed zealously to transform the lives of the people.

"The idea of having dormitories in all our farm settlements is to make farming more attractive to our youths. It is also a signal that the current administration is ready to make Ekiti achieve the targeted food security status". 

The Project Coordinator, Renewed Hope Dormitories in Farm Settlements, Mrs Oluwayemisi Joluwe, revealed that Ekiti was being used as a pilot state for the initiative, signposting the robust working relationship between the state and the federal government.

Joluwe added that the cluster farming initiative had added more value to Ekiti by help in stemming the tides of abduction since areas identified as kidnapper-infested are being converted into farm settlements.

We’ve invested Billions of Naira in urban, rural electricity reconnection – Gov. Oyebanji.

We’ve invested Billions of Naira in urban, rural electricity reconnection – Gov. Oyebanji.

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji has said that his administration had made remarkable impact in effective reconnection of urban and rural communities, that were hitherto disconnected from the national grid, back by investing billions of naira in the sector.

Governor Oyebanji, who disclosed this while receiving in audience a team from the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI), Abuja led by its Technical Director, Engr. Lawal Lawal, lamented that the huge investment made by his government in the sector have not been adequately translated to effective power generation and distribution in such communities due to ineffective and poor coordination of the entire system.

He added that his administration has been able to demonstrate capacity and commitment to the effective growth and development of the state by reconnecting communities which for many years had no electricity to the national grid as well as providing highly subsidized smart data meters for them.

While commending President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for ensuring adequate power generation and distribution to all parts of the country through the laudable initiatives, Governor Oyebanji stressed that he was not encouraged with the poor handling of electricity generation and distribution system due to poor or no metering stance of the relevant bodies saddled with the responsibility.

“Since we did not get help from anybody, we decided to help ourselves and we are making impact. The only way we are having recourse to you is because we cannot produce meters. I don’t know if the commissioner had told you how much we have invested in rural and urban electricity. We’ve been able to connect them, buy transformers and do wiring, we’ve spent billions of Naira.

“For your agency to be effective, I heard you saying that meters are coming in, you can only buy meter when there is electricity, but our challenge here in the state is that the electricity coming here is small, and people have even paid for meter they can’t get the meter because they are not available, this is discouraging for us as a government so there is need to be proactive in the drive to serve the people right. 

“I know how much we have spent on transformers, we are distributing transformers now, we have connected all our agric clusters but there has not been connection”, the Governor stated.

Earlier, the Technical Director of PMI, Engr. Lawal Lawal, noted that the initiative was a personal ambition of the President to close the Nigerian electricity metering gap by quickly assenting to a bill called Nigerian Electricity Act of 2023 which liberalized to give way to new electricity infrastructure nationally.

The Technical Directed noted the matching order the President gave to the team to create a framework in which the seven million meter gap that currently exist is closed as soon as possible adding that he was glad that all the states have supported the initiative with funding and other necessary support.

He commended Governor Oyebanji for the invaluable support they receive which have been instrumental to most of the success achieved so far as the initiative aims to deploy seven million end-use meters across the 774 local government areas within the twelve operating DISCO in Nigeria.