Ekiti at 30: Stakeholders harp on unity, collective action for prosperity

Stakeholders in Ekiti State have called for greater unity, active citizenship and collective action to consolidate the gains of the last 30 years and build a more prosperous, opportunity-driven state.

They made the call on Wednesday at a public hearing organised by the Ekiti State House of Assembly to mark the 30th anniversary of the creation of the state in 1996, themed “Ekiti at 30: Reflecting on Our Journey, Charting Our Future.”

The forum brought together former governors, lawmakers, technocrats, academics and traditional stakeholders to review the state’s journey and chart a roadmap for the next three decades, with participants acknowledging progress in infrastructure, education, human capital and economic growth while stressing the need to position Ekiti as a hub for investment and prosperity.

Former Governor Chief Segun Oni, who congratulated the people on the anniversary, said Ekiti had achieved considerable stability and growth and urged citizens to support the administration of Governor Biodun Oyebanji in deepening development.

Speaker of the House of Assembly, Adeoye Aribasoye, said the hearing was convened to interrogate the state’s 30-year journey, identify challenges and generate actionable measures, adding that its recommendations would shape the legislative agenda of the Seventh Assembly and future parliaments.

“Thirty years is both a milestone and a moment of reflection. It gives us an opportunity to look back at where we started, examine the journey, appreciate progress, acknowledge challenges and ask what kind of Ekiti we want to build ahead,” Aribasoye said.

Delivering the keynote, lawyer and philanthropist, Tope Adebayo, said Ekiti’s development should be measured not by the number of successful indigenes but by how many citizens are given opportunities to succeed, urging that successive administrations’ contributions be seen as a continuum rather than a contest.

Elder statesman and first Commissioner for Finance, Chief Afolabi Ogunlayi, recalled the agitation against marginalisation in the old Ondo State that led to Ekiti’s creation, noting that despite initial challenges, the state had recorded tremendous progress in infrastructure and population.

On the legislature’s role, former Deputy Speaker Karounwi Oladapo said harmony between the executive and legislature is critical to achieving the founding fathers’ ideals, citing as an example the legislative process that transferred the former Ondo State University in Ado-Ekiti to Ekiti and renamed it University of Ado-Ekiti.

Commissioner for Finance, Akin Oyebode, said the state’s economy had diversified, with dependence on agriculture dropping from 80 per cent in 2005 to 40 per cent in 2017, while internally generated revenue (IGR) rose from about N8 billion in 2020 to over N50 billion in 2025 and now covers monthly salaries.

“Ekiti’s internal revenue now covers our monthly salaries, but we must move to the next frontier where the IGR covers all recurrent expenditure. This will mean that FAAC revenue can go solely to investment and capital projects,” Oyebode said, attributing recent fiscal strength to Oyebanji’s Shared Prosperity agenda and President Bola Tinubu’s reforms.

Vice-Chancellor of Ekiti State University, Prof. Babatola Ayodele, urged active citizenship, saying, “Active citizens are drivers of development, and development is strongest when citizens are partners, not spectators,” as stakeholders agreed that the next 30 years should focus on economic diversification, institutional strengthening, youth opportunities and investment attraction.