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Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has declared that his Ekiti State counterpart, Governor Biodun Oyebanji, had in three years of his administration succeeded in entrenching the culture of purposeful governance that has benefitted all the strata of the state. Sanwo-Olu therefore canvassed for Governor Oyebanji’s reelection for continuing dividends of democracy in Ekiti The Lagos Governor spoke at Iworoko Ekiti, Irepodun/ Ifelodun Local Government Area, on Wednesday, during the commissioning of the Ado Ekiti Ring Road Phase 1, as part of the activities marking the third year of Biodun Oyebanji’s administration. Sanwo-Olu, at the ceremony, showered encomiums on the House of Assembly for cooperating with the Governor and strengthening the Executive-Legislative partnership that spurred development in the state. He described the Ring Road project as strategic and pivotal to the development of the state, stressing that the governor has not disappointed and that, through him, purposeful governance is spiralling and consolidating fast in Ekiti. With his sterling performance, the Lagos State Governor averred that the Ekiti State Governor has demonstrated that leadership is about service and not showmanship or acquisition of wealth at the expense of the populace. “I am impressed with how you are consolidating purposeful governance for the Ekiti people. This is a governance they can see and feel, not in the air. You have proven to be an embodiment of what President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has continued to challenge all of us at the subnational level, that we must represent the people well. “You have a man who, in three years, has done what some people can’t do in four or five years. He has shown that leadership is about service, is about talk and do, is about once you are given a commitment, there shouldn’t be any excuse. I stand here truly proud of what you have done. Ekiti can’t afford to reject you for a second term”, Sanwo-Olu stated. The Lagos State Governor further saluted Oyebanji for connecting the towns through good roads and streetlights, saying this will help in powering meaningful economic prosperity and purposeful governance in the state. “This is not just politics or rhetoric; this is an achievement we can all touch and feel. He has told you all the roads he has constructed, all the health centres he has built and all the youths he has engaged. For you to stop this, stop and start that you do, I want you to vote massively for him in the 2026 election. Return him to the office to work for you. “With this achievement that we are all proud of, Governor Oyebanji’s second term is a second term of additional prosperity, a second term of more youth empowerment, a second term of more hospital construction, a second term of more empowerment for Senior citizens, and for our women, to feel more dividends of democracy. “We need to galvanise ourselves and give him votes you have never recorded before. Votes that can transform the state into a centre of excellence and that will be a precursor to what will happen in 2027 for President Tinubu. It is only when you do that that you can see continuity of governance. “With the way things are going in Ekiti under Governor Oyebanji, in 2030, you will see a small London in Ekiti. You will see an Ekiti that is a pride of the southwest and glory of Nigeria that will drive our people home from where they work abroad”. Commenting on how pivotal the road project is to economic growth, Governor Oyebanji revealed that the project was specifically conceptualised to decongest the Ado Ekiti metropolis of vehicular gridlock and spike up economic activities along Iworoko, Afao, Are, Igbemo, Araromi Obo and other adjoining towns. Exhibiting confidence that his strategic thinking will open up the state to better prosperity, Oyebanji was upbeat that with this road, the first of its kind in the state, a new Ado Ekiti town will be created along the corridor that will drive industrial growth and urban development that will add value to the state. Besides road construction, Oyebanji revealed that an aggregate of 103 health centres have been constructed with modern facilities to offer quality healthcare for the citizens at the grassroots. “This road, which is about 17.85 kilometres, is just the first phase, and we are grateful to President Tinubu for freeing more money to the subnational, and we promise that we will triple our votes for Mr President in 2027. “So those who have done INEC’s online registration and have not done physical capturing, go and do it so that you can show Mr President that you love him. “With your support, I will break the jinx of continuity in Ekiti in 2026. The era of a government spending four years and being sent packing is over, to drive development, happiness and prosperity, so that our people can plan for their future”. Speaking for the contractor, Craneburg Construction Company, that prosecuted the project, Mr Elie Adem, branded the Ring road as a strategic project, not only to connect towns, but to ensure economic development and regional connectivity that attests to purposeful leadership. Tracing the trajectory of Governor Oyebanji’s participation in the epic battle for the creation of Ekiti State in 1996, the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe, commended the governor for his shrewd economic policies and said his enigmatic drives have made all the political, religious, market men and women, and youth groups to endorse him for a second term. “I am not surprised at what you are doing, because you are material prepared for this job long ago. You are humble, kind and generous.We pray for Ekiti to be in peace for you to continue to serve the people. God will help you succeed”, the monarch said.
