Governor Biodun Oyebanji assumed office on 16 October 2022, after a hard-fought electoral battle on the All Progressives Congress (APC) “Continuity for Shared Prosperity” mantra. It was the first time a political party won back-to-back in the South-west state since 1999, when democracy was restored in the country.
Mr Oyebanji has been in government in various capacities since 1999, having served in the Adeniyi Adebayo administration (1999-2003) and the two-term administration of Governor Kayode Fayemi, his predecessor, under whom he served as commissioner and secretary to the state government (SSG). It was only in the Ayodele Fayose and Segun Oni administrations that he did not serve.
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To many, therefore, he had enough experience to do the job.
With about eight months left in his first term, some residents and party chieftains have expressed mixed views on key policies and deliverables of his administration over the last three and a half years.
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In the area of road infrastructure, the Oyebanji administration could be given a high score. Among the roads constructed by the administration are 21km Ikere–Igbara Odo, 19.8km Ado–Iworoko–Ifaki Federal Road, 19.2km Ikere–Igbara Odo, 17km Ring Road Phase I, Omu–Ijelu–Itapa, GRA Third Extension, Spotless Hotel Road, Ikole–Isinbode, and Ogotun–Ikogosi roads.
It also completed the Ekiti Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport, which the Fayemi administration had started, and the facility became fully operational in October 2025. The government also allocated 1,000 hectares for a permanent NAF facility to boost security/investor confidence.
However, the government was not the sole funder of the project. Afe Babalola, a legal luminary and founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), invested billions of naira to help the state government complete the airport. Mr Babalola believes that the facility would enhance access to both the university and the Multi-System Hospital.
Through the Oyebanji administration’s agricultural initiative, over 5,000 youth of the state are in commercial farming through cluster initiatives.
Commissioner for Information, Taiwo Olatunbosun, said the initiative has had a significant impact on the state economy.
According to him, Ekiti ranks lowest in food inflation, based on NBS statistics, due to an agricultural surge. He cited the food security project, such as the Ilu Eye Aggregation Hub, which stores 750 MT of beans, 239 MT of rice paddy, 101 MT of maise, and 1,716 bags of garri. He said that “Ounje Ekiti” is the retail outlet for affordable food located in Ado Ekiti.
In health, the administration has rehabilitated and equipped several hospitals and renovated and equipped primary health centres across the state. The 80-bed EKSUTH facility was recently commissioned.
In the education sector, the administration said it has recruited over 2,000 teachers since inception, even as ₦14 billion has been spent on 203 public secondary schools.
The government is also running free education from primary to senior secondary school and paying WAEC fees for the students.
In the area of security, Mr Olatunbosun said the government commissioned the RRS Building/Armoury and created the Agro Marshals Corps for forests. Besides, the state security outfit, Amotekun Corps, is funded to complement the work of the federal security agencies.
Also, four fire stations are now operational at Ikere, Ijero, Ikole and Omuo.
The spokesperson for the APC in the state, Segun Dipe, gave the Oyebanji administration an 80 per cent score, especially in road construction and aviation.
Mr Dipe further commended the government on the management of resources, saying, “We run an open book. No project executed so far has been funded with loans.”
He added, “Ekiti now defines fiscal openness in Nigeria. BudgIT’s States Fiscal Transparency League placed Ekiti at 100/100 in Q4 2024 and kept it at the top through all four quarters of 2025, with a perfect 39 points in Q4 2025. The ranking credited institutionalised disclosure, quarterly Budget Implementation Reports, audited statements, and a functional E-Procurement Portal.
“At the subnational level, BudgIT and Paradigm Leadership Support Initiative ranked Ekiti 1st for LGA budget transparency and audit efficacy. The state publishes individual 2026 budgets for all 16 LGAs and 22 LCDAs — each with signed PDFs, town hall minutes, and NCOA Excel templates. Only 10 states nationwide meet that standard.
“ICIR’s 2025 half-year review added another layer: Ekiti ranked 3rd nationally with 41.8% budget performance, reflecting discipline in execution.”
Another APC chieftain in the state, Bayo Olanipekun, also scored the government highly, especially in the area of electricity.
Mr Olanipekun said that over 60 communities that had been in darkness for 20 years have now been connected to the grid.
He also described the 1.2km flyover named after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and recently inaugurated by Vice President Kashim Shettima, as well as the groundbreaking of the Ekiti Knowledge Zone Free Trade Zone, expected to create 12,000 jobs, as landmark projects.
In the area of workers’ welfare, Mr Olanipekun, a retired civil servant, noted that workers have not had it so good as under the Oyebanji administration.
“Even though I am not the government spokesman, I am aware that over ₦90 billion has been spent on workers/pensioners since 2022, when Governor Oyebanji took over,” he said.
But the opposition is unimpressed with the administration’s performance, rating it poorly.
Sanya Atofarati, the zonal publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), believes that some of the roads were rehabilitated. In contrast, others were constructed under the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP).
RAAAMP is a collaborative initiative between the Ekiti State Government and the World Bank aimed at developing and upgrading rural roads to boost agricultural productivity, enhance food security, and connect farming communities to urban markets.
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Mr Atofarati described the airport as a white elephant because, according to him, it may not be used to its full capacity, just like many airports in several states have remained underutilised.
For the PDP candidate in Saturday’s election, Wole Oluyede, it is difficult to point to a single landmark project warranting presidential commissioning in three years, insisting that Mr Oyebanji doesn’t deserve a second term, going by what is on the ground.
He described the three and a half years the governor has spent in office as a waste of opportunity, given the state’s humongous resources and improved IGR.
Mr Oluyede said the police stations “look like abandoned facilities” with no seats and equipment to fight criminals, even as he noted that 16 Ilejemeje church worshippers have been held in captivity by kidnappers since their abduction in April.
“While other governors are inviting Tinubu to commission completed projects in Ogun, Lagos, Enugu, Imo, Kaduna, Ekiti has been reduced to a cycle of courtesy visits and camera moments without corresponding development.
“Ekiti is not better than it was a few years ago. The economy has sunk, roads are worse, unemployment is higher, and people are less secure and less prosperous under this government,” the PDP candidate said.
A group, Ekiti Development Agenda (EDA), said that despite increased allocations accruing to the state post-subsidy removal, there is little or no visible development to justify the funds, alleging that Mr Oyebanji has prioritised political patronage over development.
According to the National Coordinator of EDA, Ademiluyi Bamisaye, voting for the governor for a second term could be costly for the state.
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