Ekiti Gov Assures Investors of Business-friendly Environment

. Former councilors demand justice, payment of entitlements

Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti

Ekiti state governor, Biodun Oyebanji has reassured investors and business owners that his administration would not relent in improving the business environment in order to attract investment to the State.

This is just as elected councilors who served in Ekiti State from 2022 to 2024 under both the former governor Kayode Fayemi and  the current  Oyebanji’s administrations have called on the incumbent governor to pay all outstanding entitlements.

In a statement made available to THISDAY in Ado Ekiti  yesterday, the councilors     expressed sadness over what they described as unfair treatment melted out to them by the Governor Oyebanji’s-led  government for not fulfilling its obligations to former councillors who served during a critical period of governance in the state.

They said:  “We, the former elected councillors who served diligently across Ekiti State from 2022 to 2024 under both the Kayode  Fayemi and Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji (BAO) administrations, wish to bring to public attention the unjust treatment and neglect we have suffered under the current BAO-led government.”

“Despite our legal and moral entitlements, the BAO administration has selectively paid only councillors who served under Governor Fayose, completely abandoning those of us who gave our time, commitment, and resources in service to the state and the All Progressives Congress (APC).” 

“This discriminatory treatment is not only unjust but a betrayal of the values of equity, fairness, and recognition that the APC claims to uphold.”

However, the  governor gave assurance of business-friendly environment investors  when the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) held a technical session and statewide town hall meeting in Ado-Ekiti, targeted at building a robust business environment in the state and strengthening partnership with national economic initiatives. 

Oyebanji, who was represented by the State Commissioner for Finance & Economic Development, Akin Oyebode said the state is at the forefront of ensuring that businesses thrive in partnership with federal government initiatives.  

According to him, “the reforms that PEBEC has instituted are significant to us in improving the business environment in Nigeria and it also works very closely with what Ekiti State Development and Investment Promotion Agency (EKDIPA) is doing. What PEBEC is doing nationally is what EKDIPA is doing in Ekiti State. 

“The whole essence is to improve the business environment for those who are doing business in Ekiti State. We recognise their strength, resilience and sacrifice in doing business here to helping in uilding our economy. 

“Our job as government is to provide an enabling environment for businesses to grow and thrive so that they can put our young people to work. Ekiti will always be at the forefront of improving business environment and there is no better place to do business than in Ekiti State.”

While highlighting the importance of the private sector to the sustainable development of the state’s economy, the governor highlighted key infrastructure projects in his administration’s drive to create an enabling environment for investment and economic diversification.

“We have taken the regulatory environment within Ekiti to our heart. We are the first state from day one to get senate approval to set-up our own state electricity regulatory body. We are going to help customers by ensuring we can regulate properly. The state has invested significant sums of money in connecting many towns and local governments that didn’t have access to electricity. 

“We also worked with the federal government and we must thank them for the work they are doing on transmission. The TCN project in Ekiti is going on as planned. We have provided all the support and very soon  we will see that the transmission infrastructure in Ekiti will significantly improve. We have also done IPP to reduce what the state is taking from the national grid to ensure that the power that is available is to the use of the people and the use of businesses. 

“The work we are doing on renewable energy where we are working with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and I am sure by the end of July, we will be getting a major announcement from the partnership between Ekiti State and REA as it will provide solar access for people, businesses and establishments in Ekiti State.”

Highlights of the event include technical workshop on State Action on Business Enabling Reforms (SABER) program and private sector stakeholders engagement designed to address reform challenges and opportunities for sustainable development in the state. 

On his part, Program Manager of SABER in the state, Adelusi Titus, explained that “the essence of the program is to ensure that the performance of the state as regards ease of doing business is improved and we engaged the private sector to know what they are going through.”

Director General of EKDIPA, Lolade Olutola noted that the  agency was set-up by the state government to serve as a guide towards mitigating the challenges faced by business owners in the state. 

According to her “I must give kudos to our governor for having bussineses in mind. One of the major focus of his administration is to ensure that businesses in the state are not only surviving but are  thriving. One of the things we do as an agency in the state is to checkup on existing businesses because it’s not enough to bring in new investment but how do you retain and sustain that. 

“To further improve business environment, there is stakeholders engagement we do have and this is definitely one of them – to feel the pulse of businesses in the state, see what the challenges is, see the areas where the state government can mitigate against them running out and ensure that businesses expand in the state.”

Meanwhile,  speaking further,  the councilors said: “It is both shocking and insulting that while the state government could lavishly purchase N45 million cars for newly elected local government officials, it has failed to fulfill its obligations to former councillors who served during a critical period of governance. This blatant neglect sends a clear message that loyalty, service, and party dedication count for nothing under the current leadership.”

“Governor Oyebanji’s continued disregard for committed APC members and public office holders who served before the current administration reveals a pattern of abandonment that has left the party fractured and demoralized at the grassroots level. The refusal to honour our entitlements is a disgrace and a clear sign of the government’s failure to recognize the contributions of its own.”

“We call on Governor BAO to immediately do the needful, Pay all outstanding entitlements to former councillors who served from 2022 to 2024.Stop the discriminatory treatment of public officeholders based on the administration under which they served.”

“Recognise and respect the role of grassroots politicians and loyal APC members who are the backbone of the party’s structure in Ekiti State.”

“The future of our party and the trust of the people depend on how we treat those who have served. Governor BAO must act with fairness, or risk the total collapse of APC support across the state.”