How Tinubu made governance easier for me — Oyebanji

Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji says he owes President Bola Tinubu a debt of gratitude for making governance easier for him, as well as other governors in the country.

Speaking during an interactive session with journalists in Ado-Ekiti over the weekend, Oyebanji narrated how his administration had struggled for six months to attend to the state’s wage bill and capital projects until the emergence of Tinubu as president.

The governor stated that the various interventionist programmes of the president made more resources available to all states including Ekiti State, saying this enabled his administration to implement its prosperity agenda with ease.

Oyebanji said the ongoing construction works on three of the federal roads linking Ekiti State have eased up pressure from citizens who have been calling on his government to fix the roads.

He said the cost of award of the recently approved concrete pavement on Ado-Itawure road is higher than the state’s budget for 2023, noting that without the president’s intervention on the road, there was no way the state government could have embarked on the construction.

Oyebanji said: “I became governor six months before the inauguration of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as president. In those six months, I had sleepless nights thinking about how to meet the wage bill and also implement the shared prosperity agenda.

“We have completed the airport now. Our focus is on roads. Thanks to the president, Ado-Akure road is almost done. He has also awarded Ado-Itawure road. The value of that contract is bigger than our budget for two years. If not for the president that cares, there is no way we could have done those roads.”

The governor stated that the increased allocation from the federal government has enabled his administration to increase subvention to Ekiti State’s tertiary institutions three times and meet the demands of the labour force, thereby fostering industrial harmony in the state.

FG sets up committee to tackle rejection of Nigerian farm exports

Oyebanji said his administration has paid over N85 billion in gratuities and pension since his administration came on board in 2022.

Oyebanji added that the endorsement of his administration by the people of Ekiti State has been largely as a result of the performance of his administration which he said was facilitated by Tinubu’s presidency.

He also thanked the media in the state for being professional in the discharge of their duties, enlightening the public and holding the government accountable when necessary.

While urging the people of Ekiti State to support Tinubu’s re-election, Oyebanji said the president is repositioning Nigeria on the path of greatness and should be given the benefits of the doubts.

Oyebanji said: “The president deserves commendations. It is not possible to make omelette without breaking eggs. The progress and stability that he has brought to the economy and everything, it takes someone who has courage and confidence to do it.

“He is trying to fix things that have gone wrong in the last 30 years. If someone is sick and you give him an injection, does he get well instantly? Mr President deserves our support and understanding. I have sat with him many times and I can see that he has clarity of intention and how to put the country on the right footing.”