Oyebanji Receives Vanguard Newspapers, Energy Times Awards, Restates Commitment To Sustainable Development

It was an evening of double honours for Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, on Friday as he received the Vanguard Newspapers’ Personality of the Year (Good Governance) Award, and Energy Times Magazine’s Energy Governor of the Year Award at two separate events held in Lagos.

The two awards, coming barely one month after Governor Oyebanji received the Silverbird Man of the Year Award, were predicated on his transformative leadership, inclusive governance and his huge investments in road and power infrastructure, as well as agriculture and community development.

Speaking shortly after the events, Governor Oyebanji, said the awards, like the previous ones, belong to the people of Ekiti State, whom he said have demonstrated unprecedented support for his administration’s development agenda.

He added that the recognitions have further placed a necessity on him to do more in terms of lifting the living standards of the people through the right mix of life-transforming programmes, policies and projects.

Governor Oyebanji thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for putting in place economic policies that have ceded more funds to the states, including Ekiti, thereby paving the way for greater development.

He also thanked Ekiti people at home and in the Diaspora for their support for his administration, stressing that the support of the people have been of tremendous encouragement.

While reiterating his commitment to sustaining the pace of development in the state, Governor Oyebanji said his administration would not relent in its efforts at creating enabling environment for economic growth, infrastructure development, and social welfare of the citizens.

The Governor, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr Niyi Adebayo, at the Vanguard Newspaper Award which took place at Eko Hotel and Suites, said the award was a reflection of his administration’s visionary policies and impactful people- oriented programmes that have successfully repositioned the state as a preferred destination to visit, live, work and invest in Nigeria.

Assuring that his administration would continue to uphold the principles of good governance while delivering impactful projects that align with the needs and aspirations of the people, Governor Oyebanji said the award is a motivation to sustain the pace of development and continue building a prosperous state for all.

“Well, this is possibly the fifth this year and all of them are highly respected awards, and in many of them, the populace were involved in the voting process. So, it speaks to the appreciation of our performance and commitment to the shared prosperity agenda of our administration and all the efforts are to ensure growth and development of the state in the areas of infrastructure, healthcare, human capital development, community development and youth empowerment”, the Governor said.

At the Energy Times award, which took place at Oriental Hotel, Lekki, Lagos, Governor Oyebanji, who was represented by the Commissioner for Infrastructure and Public Utilities, Prof Bolaji Aluko, said he would continue working towards ensuring a stable power supply across the nooks and crannies of the state.

This, he said, will create enabling environment for investors, boost local economy and ensure a more rapid economic growth.

He added that the within the spate of two years, his administration had successfully reconnected many communities back to the national grid, with moves to ensure adequate house metering, while the State Independent Power plant were being fortified for wider Coverage.

According to him, these remarkable impacts had attracted both public and private key players to the state.

The Governor noted that his administration has creatively navigated the murk waters of regulatory restrictions that had hitherto hindered stable electricity supply with a view to attracting investors to boost the economic status of the state.