Biodun Oyebanji, a former secretary to Ekiti State Government, was sworn in as the governor of Ekiti state on Sunday. This came in after his victory at the last gubernatorial election of the state which happened, June 18.
Governor Oyebanji ran as a flag bearer of the All Progressive Congress, he is an indigene of Ikogosi-Ekiti, Ekiti West LGA. He succeeded Dr Kayode Fayemi who just concluded his second term. The inauguration was held at Ekiti Parapo Pavilion which is at the capital of Ekiti, the oath of office was administered by Justice Oyewole.
Delivering his inaugural speech, Governor Biodun said;
“My vision is for Ekiti State to be a land of prosperity, opportunity, peace and progress. A land in which transformed people and communities can reap the fruits of their labor in dignity, good health and safety. A land of honor where integrity matters. For this vision to be actualized, we need to focus on a roadmap to get there.
“I am well aware of the unique challenges of our time. The world is presently facing one of the most difficult economic crises that was occasioned by a hybrid of post-COVID economic recovery sluggishness and the Russo-Ukrainian war. This is further complicated in Nigeria by the rising cost of living, which is eroding the gains of our economic growth, since we exited the recession as evident in what many economists have called stagflation.
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“Ostensibly, the military faceoff between Russia and Ukraine has caused an unprecedented energy crisis, reverberating across the world in the form of rising costs of living. Inflation continues to mount beyond what quick-fix economic remedies could resolve. At home, the pressure on the Naira in the face of low foreign exchange earnings is causing a huge burden on the purchasing power of our people.
“The challenges with government revenues, especially in a State like ours where most income earners are connected to government’s expenditure as salary earners, vendors and contractors, or beneficiaries of our social welfare programmes, is a significant one. Although this problem is global and national, we are aware of its overarching domestic impact in Ekiti State, which requires proactive and compassionate measures to mitigate and provide safety nets for our people.
“Correspondingly, insecurity remains a major concern of our people. Rural banditry remains an existential affront on our collective survival especially for us here in Ekiti. There is no doubt that the confidence of our people is still low in the security situation, but we need to acknowledge that a lot of work has been done and there is now a drastic reduction in the spate of kidnapping and rural banditry that reached a frightening height at some point.
“We have the immediate past administration to thank for the improvement in the general security of our dear State. We are confident that we will build on these achievements and contain insecurity within our borders. We will energize the existing security system and come up with new initiatives that can further strengthen their functionality.”
