Ekiti State Governor-elect, Biodun Oyebanji, has said that he will work with competent, courageous and transparent persons in his bid to drive his agenda of making Ekiti prosperous.
Oyebanji said that securing the citizens, building enduring Infrastructure and solving the perennial epileptic power supply to the state would form the focal areas of concentration.
“My vision is to have a society where everybody will prosper,” he said.
The incoming governor, who would be inaugurated on Sunday, speaking in a chat with journalists in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday, assured that his administration would be transparent and work hard to build strong institutions, rather than strong men to help our people.
He said, “I will have to strike a balance between growth and development. Our development plan will be such that it will improve the people’s living standards,” adding that his areas of focus would help to increase investment drives that would create wealth and ignite human capital development, through job provision and revenue earnings.
Oyebanji said, “I will work with competent, committed, courageous, transparent and God-fearing people. My government will be all-inclusive. We are bringing those that will add value to our dear state and our party, APC.
“We will monitor the activities of whoever we bring on board to ensure that they relate with the people at the grassroots. That is why I want to live in my hometown at Ikogosi to encourage other appointees to live in their localities,” he said.
The incoming governor, who was former Secretary to State Government under the outgoing Dr Kayode Fayemi administration, said that although the challenges of leading the state appeared overwhelming, he was least bothered by paucity of funds based on the strong partnerships the state had built with local and international development partners.
He said, “I have learned from Governor Fayemi, who has sustained the partnerships and relationships with development partners to make more monies for our state.
The governor-elect added that he would deploy strategies to increase the internally generated revenue of the state through an effective and affordable tax regime that would not put pressure or burden on the populace.
He said, “We can do N1.2billion monthly IGR without necessarily putting pressure on our people. If those not captured or not paying taxes are convinced to pay or brought to the tax dragnet, our IGR will increase and we will spend it judiciously on areas of priorities”.
