Adebayo Adenrele
…as Dr Oyebanji distributes food packages, stipends to 500 elderly citizens
The Wife of Ekiti State Governor, Dr Olayemi Oyebanji, has declared that critics undermining Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s achievements would face divine consequences, insisting that the governor’s second term would deliver greater development and improved welfare for residents.
The First Lady dismissed predictions that the governor might perform below expectations in his second term, describing such claims as unfounded and expressing confidence that the next four years would bring more blessings and progress to the state.
Olayemi spoke in Ado-Ekiti on Monday during an engagement with about 500 elderly citizens drawn from the 16 local government areas of Ekiti State, where she distributed food packages and stipends as part of activities marking the governor’s second-term inauguration.
She urged residents, particularly the elderly, to continue supporting the administration with prayers, assuring them that the government would sustain its commitment to their welfare and that of other vulnerable groups.
The First Lady, who described her husband as a leader guided by faith, also took a swipe at critics who use social media to question the governor’s performance, expressing the belief that those seeking to undermine his achievements would face divine consequences.
Her words, “There is a saying that if Governor Biodun Oyebanji gets there again, he won’t do well again. It is a lie. It is going to be back-to-back blessings. Those people bringing down the good works of Governor Biodun Oyebanji in Ekiti on social media will see the full wrath of God.
“We have our aged and we also want to grow old. Myself and my husband don’t joke with the welfare of the elderly.
“The engagement with the elderly citizens is part of the activities lined up to usher in the second-term inauguration of Governor Biodun Oyebanji. If you look at the programmes and activities we have carried out over the past week, you will see that we have engaged the youths and women, and we felt that the elderly should not be left out.
“We therefore decided to engage them and provide food packages, especially because some of them might not be able to attend the inauguration ceremony and the accompanying celebrations. We wanted them to feel included, remembered and cared for. That is why we brought them together from across the 16 local government areas of the state.
“About 500 elderly citizens are receiving food packages and stipends as a demonstration of our appreciation for their contributions, their support for the present government and the recognition that they are very important to us.
“Our assurance is that the good work will continue. The reward for hard work is more work. The elderly citizens themselves can testify to how well the governor treated them during his first term, particularly the pensioners, whose outstanding pension and gratuity arrears he cleared.
“Governor Biodun Oyebanji cleared the outstanding arrears. The chairman of the pensioners’ association confirmed this, and he also stated that their pensions are paid before the end of every month.
“The pensioners have expressed their appreciation to the governor for these efforts. Given that they are elderly citizens, we cannot afford to do less for them. The governor cannot do less, and in my own complementary role as his wife, I also cannot do less than to look after their welfare”.
Earlier, the Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, Chief Monisade Afuye, commended the First Lady for prioritising the welfare of elderly citizens and praised the governor for what she described as his commitment to the people.
Afuye attributed the First Lady’s interventions to the cooperation between her and the governor, saying the partnership had helped advance welfare-focused initiatives in the state.
She also appreciated the elderly citizens for their support for the administration, urging them to sustain their commitment to the governor’s second term.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Women Affairs Nd Social Development, Olapeju Babafemi, said the elderly citizens deserved recognition as part of the inauguration celebrations because of their contributions to the administration’s development agenda.
She described them as important stakeholders whose support had helped the government pursue its programmes, adding that the engagement provided an opportunity to appreciate their contributions.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Elders’ Forum in Ekiti State, Pa Oni Gabriel, expressed satisfaction with the governor’s performance, particularly in the areas of security and the welfare of senior citizens.
Gabriel said the administration had strengthened security and demonstrated concern for elderly residents, expressing optimism that the governor would achieve more during his second term.
He urged the governor to sustain the policies and programmes that had earned the support of the party’s elders.
