Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji has said the state has made significant strides in physical and economic development since its creation 28 years ago.
The governor stated this yesterday in his statewide broadcast on the 28th anniversary of the creation of Ekiti State and the 64th Independence Day celebration of Nigeria.
He added that there are abundant reasons to thank God for the progress.
He said there is no doubt the creation of the state has accelerated the development of Ekiti land, adding that the state is now a trailblazer in every aspect of the human development index.
Dwelling on Nigeria’s independence, he said, “It is the celebration of freedom from colonial authority; for us in Ekiti, it is the celebration of the fulfilment of a promised land of self-government and identity”.
Governor Oyebanji paid respect to the state’s founding fathers, especially the monarchs who championed the struggles for the creation of Ekiti State through the Committee for the Creation of Ekiti State, chaired by Chief Deji Fasuan.
“I also want to pay obeisance to everyone who has had the opportunity of presiding over the affairs of this great state before me, either as a military administrator or democratically elected Governor. Thank you all for your leadership roles and contributions to the development of our dear state”.
He equally expressed his profound appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for his strong support of the state.
“We are deeply grateful for his numerous interventions and approval of critical federal infrastructure in our state.
“We are grateful for his support, especially in tackling security challenges that confronted us early in the year. His intervention has provided us with the right atmosphere for the growth of our state”.
Speaking further on the development being recorded in the state, he said, “We are very proud to say Ekiti is a front-liner in education, life expectancy, access to quality healthcare services, physical infrastructure development, access to water, peaceful co-existence, ease of doing business, gender equality, and social inclusion, among other things.
