Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti
Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has appointed Mr Rufus Olaniran Olatona as Chairman of the State’s Internal Revenue Service.
The appointment, according to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary,Yinka Oyebode, would take effect from November 1, 2022.
Olatona, who hails from Okemesi-Ekiti, according to the statement, is a chartered Accountant and Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, and holds HND in Accountancy from the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos (1992), and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile- Ife (2010).
A financial expert of repute, Olatona, until his appointment, was the Group Chief Financial Officer, Loatsad Promomedia Limited, a Lagos-based holding company with interests in advertising and multimedia, where his key responsibilities also include coordinating the company’s relationship with regulatory institutions.
Loatsad Promomedia Limited is believed to be owned by Seyi Tinubi, scion of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu.
However, speaking on the increasing insecurity in Ekiti, Oyebanji, has called for more military presence and investment in the state as a way of enhancing security and socio-economic development of the state.
Oyebanji made this request in separate meetings with the Chief of Airforce, Air Marshal Isiaka Oladayo Amao and the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor at the Defence Headquarters, Abuja on Wednesday.
The governor specifically requested the support of the Nigeria Airforce for the state’s agro allied international cargo airport that was recently commissioned, and urged the Nigeria Airforce to make available the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for full- fledged air operations at the Ekiti airport.
Oyebanji, who was received by the Chief of Air Staff and top officers at the Airforce, said the construction of the Ekiti International Airport by former Governor Kayode Fayemi was strategic as it would help grow the state’s economy, boost agro allied business and create jobs.
While noting that the operations of the Ekiti Airport would serve the people of the South West and other parts of the country, Oyebanji urged the Airforce Chief to hasten efforts for the ground breaking of its UAV equipment at the airport, adding that the presence of the airforce would boost users’ confidence and enhance the force’s operations in the South west.
In his remarks, Amao said his office was planning the installation of six Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAVs) in the six geopolitical zones of the country, and added that with the construction of Ekiti Cargo International Airport, the UAV for the South west geo-political zone would be installed at the airport.
At his meeting with Irabor, Oyebanji, who thanked the military for the success in the war against terrorism, urged the military high Command to cite the Defence Space Research Institute at the Ekiti Knowledge Zone, where a huge parcel of land, has been earmarked for the project.
Irabor, in his response, directed that an assessment visit be carried out ahead of the groundbreaking, and assured the governor of military support in the quest to ensure adequate security in the state.
