By Ayodele Abere
The Ekiti State House of Assembly has called for collective efforts to transform the state from the “Land of Honour” to a “Land of Opportunity,” as stakeholders demanded increased investment in human capital, economic development, accountability and citizen participation.
The call was made on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at a public hearing held at the Hallowed Chamber of the Assembly in Ado-Ekiti, with the theme “Ekiti at 30: Reflecting on Our Journey, Charting Our Future.”
The hearing, organised as part of activities marking the 30th anniversary of the creation of the state, brought together lawmakers, government officials, traditional rulers, academics, private-sector operators, civil society organisations, youth and women groups and community leaders.
In his welcome address, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Adeoye Aribasoye, described the anniversary as an opportunity for Ekiti people to reflect on the state’s achievements, challenges and lessons of the past three decades.
He said the future of the state could not be built by government alone, urging citizens and institutions to contribute practical ideas and solutions to drive development.
Aribasoye listed education and human capital development, agriculture and food security, technology and innovation, healthcare, infrastructure, tourism, employment, entrepreneurship, environmental sustainability, good governance and institutional accountability as critical areas requiring attention.
He said recommendations from the hearing would inform future legislative and policy actions, urging stakeholders to celebrate past achievements without becoming complacent.
Delivering the keynote address, lawyer and private-sector practitioner, Mr. Tope Adebayo, said the anniversary offered an opportunity to honour Ekiti’s past, assess its present and imagine a more prosperous future.
Adebayo noted that the state’s development remained a continuous process shaped by successive administrations, adding that Ekiti’s greatest asset remained its people.
He called for greater investment in human capital, technical education, entrepreneurship and skills development, stressing that young people trained in technology, agriculture and fabrication should be seen as potential employers of labour.
He also advocated stronger linkages between education and industry, improved infrastructure, agricultural value-chain development and increased private-sector participation to enable the state to move from producing graduates and raw materials to processing, packaging and exporting goods and services.
In his remarks, former Governor of the state, Engr. Segun Oni, said citizens’ engagement with public institutions remained central to democratic governance, insisting that public officials must be accountable for their actions and decisions.
Oni advocated transparency in the management of public resources through independent audits, open budget reports, freedom of information, citizen-led monitoring, public performance dashboards and regular stakeholder engagement.
He also called for enhanced civic education, participatory budgeting, institutionalised citizen consultation and community-based monitoring of government projects, including the deployment of digital platforms to expand public participation.
According to him, citizens must move beyond mere participation to monitoring projects and budgets, providing feedback and collaborating with government and civil society, noting that development is strongest when citizens act as partners rather than spectators.
Also speaking, Rt. Hon. Karounwi Oladapo, in a presentation titled “Legislative Contributions to Ekiti Development: The Future Legislature as a Driver of Progress,” called for a more proactive and development-oriented legislature capable of responding to the changing needs of the state.
He said the legislature must go beyond lawmaking and oversight functions to create effective frameworks that promote economic growth, human capital development, innovation, investment, youth empowerment and accountability, adding that a stronger and more responsive legislature would be critical to driving Ekiti’s development in the years ahead.
