By Ayodele Abere
General Hospital, Ijan-Ekiti
The Honourable Commissioner for Information in Ekiti State, Rt. Hon. Franklin Taiwo Olatunbosun, has disclosed that all the things that Governor Biodun Oyebanji-led administration has been doing in the State are the things conceived from the people of Ekiti.
Olatunbosun made the disclosure while speaking with journalists on Thursday about the purpose of a two-day tour of the ongoing/completed projects across the State embarked upon by the government functionaries and media personnel in the State, which he said was to dispel possible misconceptions and insinuations as well as sharing insights especially popular ones, some of the things that led to some of the programmes, projects and the activities that the state government has embarked upon.
The Commissioner explained that the government usually relates with people and various stakeholders so that they can say directly what they want which according to Olatunbosun are some of the things that had led to the remarkable and outstanding achievements of the present administration in terms of projects, programmes and the activities of the government.
Facility at Special School, Ikoro-Ekiti
“The tour was conceived to communicate directly with media people on some of the remarkable achievements of the Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji led administration across Ekiti. We believe when you see, you can be able to disseminate what you have seen to the people of the State.
“Also, to make journalists have confidence in whatever the government speaks to when addressing issues that border on the development and the fiscal policies, appropriation and other governance activities in Ekiti.
“It is also to ensure that the media are taken along to see directly where the tax payers money is being spent on, particularly in the area of quality of choice of projects that the State government has done which have impacted meaningfully in the lives of Ekiti people.
“We have spoken to most of the projects we visited. Apart from trying to revolutionise mechanised agricultural development, “we equally trying to ensure that we network Ekiti and turn it to a central hub for industrial development such that Ekiti can become a destination port for investors..
“Most of the things we have been talking about are real practical things we have done and they are speaking to progress, development and changing the game in Ekiti to turn the State to a better, greater and an egalitarian society that we can all be proud of”. Olatunbosun explained.
The Commissioner for Education in the State, Dr. Bimpe Aderiye, while speaking on the UBEC/SUBEB Model Smart School at Ijan-Ekiti in Gbonyin Local Government Area of the State, described the project as a fraction of the Ekiti Knowledge Zone.
Aderiye who noted that there must be a difference between a Model Smart School and the traditional schools, said the students would be the natural habitat without having to be cramming in this audio visual age. Adding that Ekiti is done with cramming.
Also, the Special Adviser, Special Educational Social Recreation, Princess Adeturu Agboola, who explained how far government has gone in the area of Special students in Special Schools, described Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji as a very compassionate person.
Having been in the industry for the past fifteen years, she noted that for the very first time, she would see a Governor taking leadership to another level by ensuring that people with disabilities are well catered for.
In terms of taking care of the students and developing the Special Schools, she stated that the present administration has been doing very well considering the various projects that the Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji led administration has executed so far.
Princess Agboola said the present administration has employed seventy-four support staff to work with the students of the Special Schools. She said that they used to be temporary staff in the past, but now full permanent staff just for the students to get the best of care.
The Special Adviser also said that the Governor has equally employed therapists as staff in the Special Schools who are well paid and well catered for as well.
“There’s no way you can have children with disabilities and you are not doing therapy with them. That means you are not going anywhere. The education is supposed to help them become independent but their disabilities sometimes wouldn’t allow them to be independent. So you need to first of all address what can be an impediment to their learning and that’s what therapists would be doing”.
At the Command Secondary School, Isan-Ekiti, the Admin Officer of the school, lieutenant Adamu Umar Usman, who spoke on behalf of the school Commandant, described the projects being undertaken by the State government as an intervention for the Command School which is part of the collaboration the State is having to encourage educational development in Ekiti aside other projects like fencing and painting of the school, the one hundred bedded capacity hostel, which he said he believes would accommodate the incoming students by the time they resume.
“The project is coming at the very time. The state government is really trying in making sure that it meets the deadline as the construction has almost got to the finishing point.
According to him, the school authorities are however pleading with the Governor to further assist the institution because of expected upsurge in the number of students by the next academic session.
Meanwhile, the Special Adviser/Director – General, Office of Transformation and Service Delivery, Dr. John Moyo Ekundayo, opined that the present administration has given Ekiti people the best service delivery based on the six strategic actionable pillars of the administration which according to him it’s a social contract that the Governor signed with the people of the State.
