File Photo of Governor Biodun Oyebanji.
Biodun Oyebanji, the Governor of Ekiti State, has revealed that some people aren’t happy with his government due to his decision to cut off what he termed “the state’s feeding bottle from their mouths.”
According to Tribune, while speaking in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, during the distribution of 20,000 bags of rice and 10,000 bags of maize as palliatives to mitigate current economic hardships, Oyebanji outlined his administration’s efforts. Stating that, beyond distributing palliatives, his government is investing in agriculture by clearing over 2,000 hectares of land statewide to ensure food sufficiency and economic growth.
While Oyebanji did not specify who these dissatisfied individuals are, he warned that if they continue their disruptive actions, he would have no choice but to report them to the people of the state.
Since his administration began in October 2022, Oyebanji stated that he has avoided frivolous spending and resource mismanagement, remaining focused on fulfilling his campaign promises. He emphasized that regular salary and pension payments, along with investments across various sectors, are basic responsibilities of any responsible government. “That is not a big deal, it is my job; you did not elect me to be sleeping in the government house,” he said.
“We have been using Ekiti resources to develop the state since our inauguration as governor. I am about clocking two years in office, I have travelled out of the country twice; I have stayed with you performing my responsibilities. But as we are doing all these, some people are not happy because they have the bottle of Ekiti in their mouths but we have removed it. So, it is expected that these categories of people will not be happy with the work we are doing in the state. Let me assure you that we are unperturbed about these people, we are in charge and if it comes to reporting them to you my people, we will do it because you elected us to be in charge of the state.”
The governor also expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for supporting Ekiti State with palliatives, noting that the federal government provided bags of rice, which the state supplemented to reach the current distribution levels. Oyebanji highlighted that he has not taken any loans since assuming office, attributing the state’s increased financial capacity to a significant rise in allocations since last year.
“As always, I need your prayers. I also need your fair criticism. If there’s anything we are doing wrong, please let me know. It’s better we know this on time and address it before it gets out of hand. I’m not happy that we are sharing rice as palliatives this way. But with our ongoing Agric and food security plans, by next year, we would have enough food in the market to go round and this would address food inflation.”
Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Ebenezer Boluwade, announced that 50 bags of rice would be distributed to each of the 177 wards in the state, ensuring that all groups and associations are considered in the distribution process.
