Adebayo Adenrele
The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Delegated Legislation, Hon. Femi Bamisile, has congratulated the Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, on his emergence as the 2023 Governor of the Year on Community Development.
The lawmaker representing Ekiti South Federal Constituency II, said the honour to be bestowed on Governor Oyebanji on Saturday, May 4, buttressed the fact that his performances and sacrifices are now attracting national attention.
The ranking federal parliamentarian, saluted the Daily Independent Newspapers’ Management for being dispassionate and painstaking in arriving at Oyebanji’s choice, describing the honour as a product of merit, and not politically induced.
The Lagos based Media outfit will confer the award of : “2023 Governor of the Year on Community Development”, on Governor Oyebanji, on Saturday, May 4, 2024, for his superlative performance index at the local government level and for executing projects that are buffering the people’s sufferings at the grassroots.
Bamisile said these in his congratulatory message to the Governor, which he released in Abuja, and made available to newsmen in Ado Ekiti, on Friday.
The representative of Gbonyin/Ekiti East/Emure Federal Constituency in the Green Chamber, stressed that the honour was well earned.
He maintained that the unrestrained financial autonomy being savoured by the local governments and Local Council Development Areas of Ekiti, were surfeit of evidence corroborating good governance at the third tier.
Commending the media outfit for its thorough search for the man whose the cap perfectly fits in this category, the former Speaker, disclosed that Governor Oyebanji’s conduct of local government election barely a year he assumed office, upscaled his unmeasured proclivity and penchant for good governance and love for local rural development.
In the same manner, Bamisile submitted that the Governor has brought a paradigm shift to the operations of the local government system, by way of making them financially strong to be able to execute landmark projects in critical areas of the economy for the benefit of the rural dwellers.
“On behalf of my family and constituents, I congratulate Governor Biodun Oyebanji on his impending investiture as the Best Governor of the Year on Community Development. This feat is enigmatic and will bring honour to Ekiti as a State.
“To me and other discerning minds, the honour is a product of hard work and unfailing fidelity in good governance as demonstrated by Governor Biodun Oyebanji, whose simplicity and candour are boundless.
“Without being hypocritical, we all know how vibrant and virile our Local Governments and LCDAs have become under his captivating hegemony to execute landmark projects for the benefit of grassroots people .
“Today in Ekiti, local governments and LCDAs are now competing for projects in the areas of construction of rural roads, grading of rural roads, building of shopping malls, construction of market stalls, building of modern block of classrooms in schools, distribution of instructional materials to primary schools and extension of food palliatives to rural dwellers.
“Without the risk of being exaggerative or immodest, all the foregoing were made possible because of the financial autonomy being enjoyed by councils as allowed by the governor. We knew what was obtainable at the third tier when the LGs were apron strings of the state government. The reverse is now the case.
“I felicitate the governor on this well fitted feather being added to his numerous caps of achievements within a spate of one and half years at the helms of affairs. I appeal to our people to give him solid backing to be able to turn our state around”.
Bamisile appealed to the governor to use the honour as a springboard for the attainment of more positively impactful achievements by being more zealous, focused and sacrificial in the execution of his well crafted six-point policy thrust of his administration.