Vice President Kashim Shettima has urged Governor Abiodun Oyebanji to repay the confidence of Ekiti voters by improving the quality of public service and giving priority to youth empowerment during his second term.
Representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the governor’s second-term inauguration in Ado-Ekiti on Friday, Shettima said the electorate had weighed the governor’s record and delivered their verdict in his favour.
He added that the governor would justify the mandate by keeping faith with citizens whose voices are rarely heard.
Describing the occasion as one in which louder applause brings greater obligation, the Vice President said Oyebanji earned re-election through his ability to listen without yielding, his courage in taking decisions, and his composure and respect for institutions.
He said the governor had also refused to mistake public office for personal grandeur; qualities he called uncommon virtues.
Shettima, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, told the governor that the next four years demand the same generosity of spirit that won him victory at the polls, along with a greater readiness to place Ekiti above the quarrels of the moment.
“Your Excellency, as the ceremonies end and the responsibilities of office reclaim the hours, remember the distinction the people have conferred upon you,” he said.
“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 the greetings and best wishes of President Tinubu to the governor and people of Ekiti State, saying the President sees Oyebanji’s renewed mandate as a triumph of democratic accountability and the labour by which trust is earned.
He said the support enjoyed by the Tinubu administration and the All Progressives Congress (APC) across the country is rooted in an understanding of the need for reforms 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.
Shettima thanked Ekiti people for renewing the APC’s mandate, noting that the party owes its voters the discipline of never forgetting who put it in power.
Pointing to the governor’s record, he cited 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 said.
The Vice President also acknowledged the state’s contribution to the nation, saying it has always exceeded the measure of its size and given Nigeria formidable minds and principled voices.
He assured that the Federal Government would remain a dependable ally in the state’s progress, as it is for every state of the federation.
Earlier, Governor Oyebanji thanked God and the people of Ekiti for their support, pledging to meet their expectations and keep the state united.
He expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for his partnership with the state and commended his predecessors for laying a solid foundation for development.
He also thanked his opponents in the last election for their sportsmanship.
Highlighting his administration’s achievements, the governor said his government has prioritised workers’ welfare, infrastructure, electricity and healthcare delivery.
“Through our health insurance scheme, many have received medical care. We must continue on 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,” he said.
Oyebanji noted that much work remains and promised more investments to improve lives.
He said education would receive greater attention, 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 enterprises,” he said.
The governor appealed to residents to vote for the APC at all levels in the forthcoming general elections.
