Ekiti @30: Celebrating our journey, honouring our heroes

On behalf of the members of Diamond Club ’99 of Ekiti State, I warmly felicitate with the entire people of Ekiti—at home and in the diaspora—as our dear state celebrates 30 years of statehood on October 1, 2026.

Thirty years is a remarkable milestone. It is three decades of aspirations, sacrifices, challenges, achievements, disappointments, resilience and, above all, the determination of a people who believed Ekiti deserved its own identity and a government closer to its people.

Today, we celebrate not merely the creation of a geographical entity called Ekiti State. We celebrate the courage, sacrifices and determination of generations of Ekiti sons and daughters who believed in the Ekiti project.

At this historic moment, we must first bow our heads in gratitude and remember the men and women whose contributions made the dream of Ekiti State a reality.

We particularly honour the Chairman of the Committee for the Creation of Ekiti State, Chief Deji Fasuan, whose leadership, intellectual depth, administrative experience and perseverance played a central role in the struggle for state creation. The Ekiti State Government itself has continued to recognise his historic role in the creation of the state.

We also honour Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, whose voice, influence, legal brilliance and commitment to the advancement of Ekiti have remained significant to the development of our people.

We remember the late Evangelist Bamidele Olumilua, who served as Governor of the old Ondo State from which Ekiti was created, and who remained an important elder statesman and son of Ekiti.

We honour the late Professor Sam Aluko, the distinguished economist and intellectual giant whose contributions to Ekiti and Nigeria remain part of our history.

We also acknowledge the contributions of the many traditional rulers, political leaders, lawyers, economists, academics, civil servants, professionals, community leaders, mobilisers and ordinary citizens who worked behind the scenes.

We must particularly recognise the role played by the traditional rulers who traversed the corridors of power and participated in the diplomacy that strengthened the demand for an Ekiti State. The state government has acknowledged the contribution of the traditional institution and the Committee for the Creation of Ekiti State to the struggle.

We salute General Sani Abacha, under whose federal military government the state was ultimately created on October 1, 1996. We also remember the late Chief Bode Olowoporoku, whose advocacy and political engagement were part of the broader struggle for the creation of Ekiti State. Historical accounts record his strong advocacy for the state’s creation.

And to all those whose names history may not have adequately recorded, we say: Ekiti remembers you.

Your sacrifices were not in vain.

As we celebrate 30 years, we must also appreciate the men who have governed Ekiti and contributed in different ways to our state’s development.

Colonel Mohammed Bawa: We remember Colonel Mohammed Bawa, the first Administrator of Ekiti State after its creation. He laid the foundation of the new state at a very difficult period when the institutions of government were still being established.

Navy Captain Atanda Yusuf: We also acknowledge Navy Captain Atanda Yusuf, who succeeded Mohammed Bawa and administered the state during the transition period leading to the return to democratic government in 1999.

The official Ekiti State record confirms both men as the first two administrators of the newly created state.

Otunba Niyi Adebayo: We appreciate Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, the first democratically elected Governor of Ekiti State, who served from 1999 to 2003.

His administration marked the beginning of democratic governance in the young state and helped establish the structures subsequent administrations would build on.

Chief Ayodele Fayose: We acknowledge Chief Ayodele Fayose, who served as Governor from 2003 to 2006 and returned for a second term from 2014 to 2018.

His administration contributed to the state’s development, particularly through programmes and policies directed toward grassroots engagement and the welfare of ordinary citizens.

Chief Segun Oni: We appreciate Chief Segun Oni, who served as Governor from 2007 to 2010.

His administration contributed to Ekiti’s development in areas including infrastructure, workers’ welfare, healthcare and economic development. Governor Biodun Oyebanji recently acknowledged these contributions, describing Oni’s administration as an important phase in Ekiti’s multi-sectoral development.

 Dr John Fayemi: We recognise Dr John Kayode Fayemi, who served two non-consecutive terms, from 2010 to 2014 and from 2018 to 2022.

His administrations placed significant emphasis on education, agriculture, infrastructure, healthcare, human capital development and institutional reforms. His first administration, for example, implemented free education policies, agricultural interventions and extensive school and infrastructure projects.

We also acknowledge his contribution to the culture of continuity, which is increasingly becoming important in Ekiti’s development. His administration initiated several projects that subsequent governments have continued.

Governor Biodun Oyebanji: And to our current Governor, Mr Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, we say thank you for your service to Ekiti State.

Oyebanji occupies a particularly interesting place in our history. Before becoming governor, he served as Secretary of the Committee for the Creation of Ekiti State under Fasuan. He subsequently served the state in several capacities before becoming governor.

His administration has emphasised continuity, infrastructure, agriculture, education, healthcare, youth empowerment and economic development. The state government reports substantial investment in roads, rural development, agriculture and youth employment, including initiatives encouraging thousands of young people into commercial agriculture.

Importantly, the present administration has also continued projects inherited from previous administrations. That culture of continuity matters because development should not start afresh every four years. Oyebanji has publicly emphasised completing projects initiated by predecessors.

To all our past and present leaders, our message is simple:

Thank you for what you have done. We acknowledge your contributions. We celebrate what has been achieved. And we encourage the present generation to build on the foundation laid by those who came before us.

But as we celebrate, we must also ask an important question:

After 30 years, where do we go from here?

Ekiti has earned a reputation as a Fountain of Knowledge. We have produced professors, academics, lawyers, doctors, engineers, economists, administrators, entrepreneurs and professionals of international repute.

But knowledge must ultimately translate into economic prosperity.

Our greatest challenge today is not simply producing educated young people.

Our challenge is creating an economy that can absorb their knowledge, energy, creativity and ambition.

For too long, Ekiti’s economy has been closely tied to the civil service and public employment.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with public service. Indeed, we need a professional, motivated and well-supported civil service.

But Ekiti cannot build its future on government employment alone.

We must deliberately move from a predominantly civil-servant economy to a productive, industrial and entrepreneurial economy.

As we enter the next 30 years of Ekiti’s history, I respectfully call on the state government, the local governments, the private sector, traditional institutions and Ekiti people everywhere to make industrialisation and job creation central to our development agenda.

We need industries that will employ our young people.

We need agro-processing companies.

We need food-processing industries.

We need cassava, rice, maize, cocoa, oil palm and other agricultural value-chain industries.

We need furniture and wood-processing businesses.

We need mineral-resource processing where environmentally and economically appropriate.

We need technology and digital businesses.

We need small and medium-scale manufacturing enterprises.

We need an economy where a young graduate can say, “I want to build a business in Ekiti,” rather than believing the only evidence of success is getting a government appointment or travelling outside the state.

The government must, therefore, deliberately create an enabling environment for investors through good roads, reliable electricity, water, security, access to land, simplified business processes, incentives and transparent policies.

There is another enormous opportunity before us ─ agriculture.

Ekiti has land.

Ekiti has people.

Ekiti has knowledge.

Ekiti has a favourable agricultural environment.

What we need is a well-organised system that makes agriculture attractive, profitable and dignified.

We must change the mindset that farming is meant only for people who could not get a white-collar job.

Farming is a business.

A well-managed farm can be an investment.

A young graduate can become a commercial farmer.

An engineer can become an agricultural entrepreneur.

An accountant can manage an agribusiness.

A lawyer can build an agricultural investment company.

A technology professional can build an agricultural technology platform.

An economics graduate can become an agribusiness strategist.

Agriculture should no longer be presented to our young people as a fallback option.

It should be presented as a wealth-creation opportunity.

The government should therefore deliberately design programmes that convince our graduates and young people that agriculture is not a punishment but a profession, a business and an investment.

What should the government do?

I respectfully propose the following practical steps:

Open our farmlands: The government should launch an aggressive programme to construct and maintain accessible, motorable roads to farming communities.

A farmer should not produce food successfully only to lose money because the produce cannot get to the market.

Establish mechanisation hubs: The government should establish agricultural mechanisation hubs across the state where young farmers and farmer cooperatives can rent or share expensive machinery such as tractors, planters, harvesters, irrigation equipment and processing machines.

A young farmer does not necessarily need to own a tractor.

He or she needs access to a tractor when needed.

Establish agricultural training and mentorship hubs: We should establish specialised agricultural training centres where young people receive practical, hands-on training.

Experienced farmers should become mentors.

Our agricultural institutions, universities, polytechnics and private-sector experts should be integrated into the programme.

 Create accessible agricultural finance: The government should work with financial institutions, development agencies, cooperatives and private investors to create accessible funding mechanisms, microfinance schemes and grants specifically designed for young agribusiness owners.

The focus should not merely be on giving people money.

The focus should be on building bankable agricultural businesses.

Build storage and processing infrastructure: One of the greatest problems facing farmers is post-harvest loss.

The government should facilitate storage facilities, cold rooms, warehouses, drying facilities and processing centres.

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Instead of selling raw agricultural products cheaply, Ekiti should increasingly process them and sell finished or semi-finished products at higher value.

 Improve electricity and other basic amenities: The agricultural zones need electricity, water, communications infrastructure and transportation.

An agro-processing business cannot operate efficiently without energy.

Create agricultural clusters: Rather than scattering support thinly across thousands of individual farmers, the government can create agricultural production clusters where farmers producing similar crops operate around shared infrastructure, mechanisation, storage and processing facilities.

Connect farmers directly to markets: The government should help establish reliable market linkages between farmers, processors, supermarkets, institutions, exporters and large food buyers.

Farmers must know where the market is before production.

The state government should not be left to develop agriculture and rural infrastructure alone.

It must be a shared responsibility between the state government and the 16 local government areas.

The local governments are closest to the people.

They know the rural roads.

They know the farming communities.

They know the local challenges.

They should therefore become active participants in Ekiti’s agricultural transformation.

The state government can provide policy, coordination, larger infrastructure, financing frameworks and technical support, while local governments can identify communities, support access roads, coordinate farmers and monitor projects at the grassroots.

Recent publicly available FAAC data show that individual Ekiti local governments can receive several hundred million naira monthly, with variations between councils and from month to month. For example, published February 2026 figures for Ekiti councils included allocations ranging from about N416.8m to N529.4m for several councils.

Therefore, rather than simply viewing local government resources as funds for administration, we should increasingly ask:

What measurable economic value is each local government creating with its resources?

Every local government should have an agricultural and economic development plan.

Every local government should identify its comparative advantage.

Every local government should have measurable targets for youth employment, agricultural production, rural roads, processing and small-business development.

Our ultimate objective must be bigger than building roads and structures.

The ultimate objective must be improving the economic condition of our people.

Government must be intentional about reducing poverty.

A road is important because it connects people to opportunity.

Electricity is important because it enables businesses to operate.

Agriculture is important because it creates income.

Industry is important because it creates jobs.

Education is important because it creates productive human capital.

Infrastructure is important because it reduces the cost of doing business.

Therefore, our development policies must be connected to one central question:

How does this policy improve the economic life of the ordinary Ekiti citizen?

To our young people, I say:

Do not let the absence of a white-collar job make you believe your future is over.

You are Ekiti’s greatest economic asset.

Do not wait indefinitely for government employment.

Learn a skill.

Build a business.

Go into agriculture.

Learn technology.

Enter manufacturing.

Develop an agricultural value chain.

Form cooperatives.

Partner with others.

Use your education to solve problems.

The future Ekiti we desire will not be built by government alone.

It will be built by government, businesses, professionals, farmers, young people, traditional rulers, communities and citizens working together.

To our political leaders, I respectfully say:

The first 30 years of Ekiti were about creating and consolidating the state.

The next 30 years must be about creating prosperity.

Let us move from:

Education to enterprise.

Knowledge to production.

Farming to agribusiness.

Raw materials to finished products.

Government employment to private-sector employment.

Consumption to production.

Poverty reduction to wealth creation.

Individual effort to coordinated economic development.

And above all:

Let us move from being a civil-servant state to becoming a productive, industrial and agricultural economy.

As we celebrate 30 years of Ekiti State, let us remember where we came from, appreciate those who sacrificed for us, celebrate what successive governments have achieved, acknowledge the work still before us and commit ourselves to building an even greater Ekiti.

Let us honour our founding fathers by making their sacrifice worthwhile.

Let us honour our traditional rulers by building stronger communities.

Let us honour our past governors by preserving what is good in their legacies and improving upon it.

Let us honour our teachers, professors and intellectuals by transforming knowledge into economic value.

Let us honour our farmers by making agriculture profitable.

Let us honour our youth by creating opportunities for them.

And let us honour the ordinary citizens of Ekiti by building a state where hard work can lead to prosperity.

Thirty years ago, our fathers fought for a state.

Today, our responsibility is to fight for a prosperous state.

May Ekiti State continue to rise.

May peace remains in our land.

May our leaders receive wisdom.

May our young people find opportunities.

May our farmers prosper.

May our industries grow.

May poverty retreat from our communities.

And may Ekiti continue to justify the sacrifices of those who fought for her creation.

Happy 30th Anniversary to Ekiti State.

Happy 30 years of resilience, knowledge, honour and progress.