Text of the Address by
His Excellency
Dr. Kayode Fayemi, CON
Governor, Ekiti State, Nigeria
to commemorate the 26TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CREATION OF EKITI STATE AND 62ND NIGERIA INDEPENDENCE
1. Ekiti-kete, I congratulate you this morning on the 26th anniversary of the creation of our dear state, Ekiti State and also wish all Nigerians, happy Independence Day.
2. I address you this morning with a heart of praises and thanksgiving to God Almighty for His benevolence over us as a people, State and government. You will agree with me that we have more than enough reasons to roll out drums today to appreciate God for His grace over us all through the years.
3. Just as with the journey of every nation state, our birth as an independent State and subsequent evolution has not been without its challenges. But as a people with a steely resolve, we have, collectively, risen above these challenging moments and arrived at this stage we can all be proud of.
4. Of course the task of building a virile society is never attained by a sudden flight; rather it is a continuous journey which involves a lot of sacrifices, methodical planning and an abiding faith in God.
5. We would not have reached this level of progress without the outstanding dedication of past and present leaders who worked for and have continued to work to ensure that the State assumes her proper pride of place in the comity of States across the nation.
6. Ekiti is now a state of pride for all of us, emerging steadily from her humble beginnings. The first military administrator Late Col. Mohammed Inua Bawa, had to make do with a One Room Chalet in the defunct Owena Motels as his Governor’s Lodge, same way all our past leaders had to make several sacrifices at certain stages, to contribute their quota to the Ekiti State we all have today. I salute their courage and resilience and celebrate their achievements.
7. Looking back now, we have every reason to thank and appreciate God for what He has done for our State through successive administrations. We must also appreciate the struggles and sacrifices of those that fought for the creation of Ekiti State and the Abacha regime that hearkened to their prayers. All thanks to them, we have a State to build, develop and bequeath to the generations yet unborn.
8. You would recall that in keeping with our philosophy of accountability to you, the people, we have, in the course of rendering our stewardship in the last four years, provided and given feedback on the mandate you entrusted to us. The details of our stewardship for the final year of this administration will be rendered to you through the State of the State address on October 7, 2022.
9. Today, therefore, will be strictly dedicated to thanksgivings in honour of you, Ekiti people. I thank you for your kindness and generosity toward me. Though I have visited and appreciated our people during my thank you tours from October 26 to 28, 2022. I am equally using this medium to further appreciate you for your support, guidance, prayer, suggestions and criticisms, the combination of which formed the impetus for our visible and impactful achievements all through my two terms as the Governor of Ekiti State. I sincerely cannot thank you enough because your acceptance and endorsement laid the foundations for all my political achievements.
10. My appreciation also goes to our royal fathers, religious leaders, development partners and all stakeholders in the Ekiti project. I sincerely appreciate each and every one of you. Your immeasurable contributions made all the difference in the life of this administration, for which we are eternally grateful.
11. Today, I address you with a heart of fulfilment and gratitude. Despite the challenges we have faced in the past years, God helped us to surmount the hurdles and fulfil most of our promises. The journey of my second term in office has been very interesting, challenging and rewarding.
12. The journey we started on October 16, 2018, will end in the next few days. We made the best of the mandate given to us by Ekiti people and evidence abounds that a great future awaits us as a people and State. This government deliberately ensured that every sector of our social life and economy received attention. Despite the daunting challenges of the era, the government delivered on its projections for policies, programmes and projects execution, and achieved very tangible outcomes. I have no doubt that many of our visionary efforts would continue to deliver outcomes for generations to come.
13. As you are all aware, I will be handing over the baton of leadership to our Governor-elect, Mr. Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, in the next couple of days to take over from where we stop and start building on the foundation we already laid for the growth and stability of Ekiti State. This address, therefore, is my last Independence Day broadcast to you as your governor.
14. The chapter of my second term that we started four years ago will end on October 16, 2022, thus heralding the new chapter of the incoming government. This administration came to office on the promise of restoring the values and dignity of Ekiti people, tackling infrastructure decay, and developing the economy. Against all odds, the administration fulfilled its promises and is bequeathing a solid foundation for fast economic development of Ekiti State for successive administrations to build on.
15. As a government, we are conscious of the fact that there may be areas where expectations have not been met due to unforeseen circumstances and the realities of the period. Nevertheless, it is heart-warming, to inform you today, that whatever the outgoing government couldn’t perfect will be handled and perfected by the incoming administration. That is the beauty of our seamless transition and the continuity that you, Ekiti people, voted for.
16. The task of keeping Ekiti working is our collective responsibility. We already have a strong start with the victory of our Governor-elect at the poll. His victory is significant not only for the All Progressives Congress (APC), but for Ekiti-kete as a whole. This is the first time a political party will be succeeding itself in our dear State.
17. Luckily, our Governor-elect, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, was an integral part of all the developmental feats recorded by this administration. What this holds for us as a State is that the path to an enduring socio-economic and political progress already mapped out by this administration will be followed through with renewed vigour and dedication.
18. A tree, our people say, does not make a forest. I am, therefore, using this medium to appeal to all well-meaning sons and daughters of Ekiti, and all our development partners to rally round the incoming administration in the overall best interest of our people. With your prayers, support, suggestions, guidance and constructive criticism, the incoming government will make the best of the foundation we already laid and surpass our record of performance. I urge you all to join hands with the incoming administration to consolidate on the work we have done so far and keep Ekiti working in our collective best interest.
19. Once again, I sincerely thank Ekiti-kete and everyone that has contributed in one way or the other to the success of this administration and made it memorable.
20. Long live Federal Republic of Nigeria. Long live Ekiti State.
21. Ala le Ekiti a gbe a o!