Ekiti must build economy that sustains future generations – Ex-gov candidate

Former Ekiti State governorship candidate, Tope Adebayo.

Legal practitioner and former governorship candidate in Ekiti State, Tope Adebayo, has said that the task before the present generation in the state is to strive to create an economy capable of sustaining opportunities for future generations.

Adebayo, who said successive administrations in the state had trod the lines of the founding fathers and recorded landmarks, stressed the need to strengthen the foundations established in the last 30 years.

The member of the State Economic Management Team, inaugurated by Governor Biodun Oyebanji in 2023, spoke in a keynote address in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, on Saturday, at a programme organised by the Ekiti State House of Assembly to mark the state’s 30th anniversary.

Adebayo, however, challenged the state to move forward to building an economy that would give every citizen a genuine opportunity to prosper.

He said, “The next chapter of Ekiti’s development should be defined by a transition from a ‘Land of Honour’ to a ‘Land of Opportunity,’ where education, skills, infrastructure and entrepreneurship are deliberately connected to jobs, markets, investment and wealth creation.

“The ultimate measure of the state’s development should not be the number of successful people it has produced, but how many more people can have the opportunity to become successful.

“The responsibility before the present generation is to strengthen those foundations and create an economy capable of sustaining opportunities for generations yet unborn.”

Adebayo said that successive administrations had contributed to the development of Ekiti in different ways, which needed to be acknowledged.

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“An insightful reflection on our history
is
to
recognise
that
the
task
of
state‐building
is
a
continuum.
One
administration
lays
a
foundation; another
builds
upon
it.
One
strengthens
the
structure
while
another
comes
along
with
a
mandate
for
expansion,” he added.

The ex-governorship candidate described the 30th
anniversary
as
an
occasion
to
recognise
that
the present
Ekiti
”is
the
cumulative
product
of
the
sacrifices,
policies,
ideas
and
institutions
built
by
successive
governments and by citizens who have served this state in different
capacities.”

He, however, commended the Oyebanji administration for what he described as its enviable and laudable achievements, saying, “The
work
that
has already been done by the administration had brought about improvements in fiscal transparency and audit performance;
reported
progress in internally
generated
revenue, investment
in
roads and transport infrastructure,” among
other
efforts
to
improve
the
lives
of
Ekiti
people
and
the
state’s
business
environment.

He lauded the Oyebanji administration for focusing on consolidation of the progress made so far, scaling impact and strengthening systems capable of driving sustainable development.

He urged stronger collaboration among the executive, legislature, judiciary, traditional institutions, private sector and citizens, saying development could only be sustained when institutions worked together while retaining their constitutional responsibilities.

Adebayo hailed the leadership of the State House of Assembly for strengthening the legislative institution, including the remodelling of the Assembly complex and digitalisation of legislative processes.