The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has called on Governor Abiodun Oyebanji to honour the sacred verdict of the Ekiti electorate by raising the bar of governance and prioritising youth empowerment in his second term.
According to him, the governor will justify the people’s mandate if he keeps faith with citizens whose voices are not often heard, maintaining that the Ekiti people have weighed the record before them and issued their judgment in Oyebanji’s favour
Representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday at Governor Oyebanji’s second-term inauguration in Ado-Ekiti, Senator Shettima framed the event’s joy as a paradox: the louder the applause, the greater the obligation it announces.
He acknowledged that the governor earned his second term through his capacity to listen without succumbing, his courage to take decisions, and his display of “composure, respect for institutions, and a refusal to mistake public office for personal grandeur”-qualities he described as uncommon virtues.
VP Shettima, however, told Governor Oyebanji that the next four years require the generosity of spirit that earned him victory at the polls as well as a greater willingness to place Ekiti above the quarrels of the moment.
Imploring the governor not to disappoint in his second term, he said, “Your Excellency, as the ceremonies end and the responsibilities of office reclaim the hours, remember the distinction the people have conferred upon you.
“They have examined your first term and entrusted you with their next four years. Honour that judgement by opening more doors for the young, raising the quality of public service and keeping faith with those whose voices are seldom heard at occasions such as this.”
The Vice President conveyed President Tinubu’s greetings as well as best wishes to the governor and people of Ekiti State, saying the President celebrates Oyebanji’s renewed mandate as “a triumph of democratic accountability and the labour by which trust is earned.”
He stated that the support that the Tinubu administration and the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) have been enjoying across Nigeria is “rooted in an understanding of the necessity of the reforms undertaken to secure Nigeria’s economic survival.
“President Tinubu confronted fiscal burdens and structural distortions whose neglect would have inflicted greater injury on our country. Nigerians have endured the discomfort of difficult correction. Their patience deserves an economy that rewards work, expands opportunity and makes public resources answer more faithfully to public needs,” he added.
Senator Shettima thanked the people of Ekiti State for renewing the APC government’s mandate, noting that the governing party owes its voters the discipline of never forgetting who put them in power.
To the governor, he said, “We have seen the evidence in roads connecting communities, renewed schools and health facilities, electricity reaching underserved areas and the possibilities opened by the Ekiti Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport.
“These investments find their value in journeys shortened, businesses sustained and opportunities brought nearer to families. Ekiti has found in you a governor who understands that a state advances when its people advance.”
He acknowledged the contribution of the state to the nation, pointed out that the state has always exceeded the measure of its size and “furnished Nigeria with formidable minds and principled voices.”
The VP assured that the federal government will stand as a dependable ally in the progress of the state, as it does for every state of the federation.
Earlier, Governor Oyebanji thanked God and the people of Ekiti State for their support, pledging to meet their expectations and sustain the unity of the state.
He expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for his support and strong partnership with the state, just as he commended his predecessors for laying a solid foundation for development.
The governor said the unity of Ekiti State must be maintained, thanking his opponents in the last election for their show of sportsmanship.
Highlighting some of his administration’s achievements, Governor Oyebanji said his government has prioritised workers’ welfare, infrastructure, electricity, and healthcare delivery.
“Through our health insurance scheme, many have received Medicare. We must continue in that trajectory. In agriculture we have provided the inputs and all necessary support has been given. We have improved schools, we have also enhanced security,” Oyebanji added.
He noted that although much has been achieved, more work still needs to be done, assuring that more investments would be made to improve the lives of the people.
According to him, education will receive more attention under his administration, including skills development for artisans and vocational workers.
“Our skilled workers contribute a lot to our progress, we must make them feel the presence of the government. We will also pursue reliable power for industries and enterprise,” he said.
The governor appealed to citizens of the state to vote for the All APC at all levels during the forthcoming general elections.