Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has charged the new commissioners and Special Advisers to justify their return to office through improved performance, commitment, and loyalty, warning that anyone who fails to measure up would lose relevance in the administration.
Speaking on Tuesday during the swearing-in ceremony held at Jibowu Hall, Government House, Ado-Ekiti, the governor reminded the appointees that their positions were held at the pleasure of the governor and must be matched with demonstrable results.
Oyebanji recalled that he inaugurated the cabinet on August 8, 2023, but dissolved it in line with constitutional provisions and global practices, noting that the break offered room for evaluation and “necessary refuelling” for the tasks ahead.
He said the last three years of working with the cabinet had produced significant progress in infrastructure, agriculture, education, health, arts and culture, and socioeconomic development, but stressed that some members needed to “double up” to remain relevant in the new council.
He added that the decision to return all former cabinet members was influenced by party leaders’ desire for stability ahead of the 2026 governorship poll, urging the appointees that “you would have to justify your pay going forward.”
Oyebanji urged the commissioners to immediately get to work, saying the administration’s six strategic Pillars of Development were already familiar to them.
According to him, “there is no time for frivolities or infantile triumphalism” at a time when the government still owes the people much more.
Oyebanji urged members of the cabinet to maintain a strong presence in their communities and stay connected to the grassroots, cautioning them against isolating themselves in the state capital under the guise of busy schedules.
“As the candidate of our great party, the APC, all hands must be on deck. But governance must not suffer, and government processes must not dither. You must find the balance and go the extra mile.”
The governor restated that the renewed mandate required diligence, transparency, and innovation, insisting that government business must be guided by probity, accountability, and frugality.
He told the appointees that the final stretch toward the end of his first term was the most critical, saying, “like a relay race, the last leg is the most important. We must give it our best.
He congratulated the commissioners, urging them to return to their ministries ready to hit the ground running and deliver on the administration’s six-pillar development agenda.