25th May, 2022
By Idowu Gabriel
The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Ekiti, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, said he will reduce poverty through employment generation.
If he became governor of the state, Oyebanji promised to boost small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs), Raheem Adegbolu, media assistant to the governorship candidate, said.
Akingbolu quoted Oyebanji as saying this while receiving a delegation from European Union, British High Commission and Canadian High Commission, in Ado-Ekiti.
Oyebanji said that if he were voted as governor, he would prioritise prompt payment of salaries and address the security challenges currently facing the state.
Sharing copies of his manifesto with the visiting envoys, Oyebanji said that he was committed to matching Ekiti’s growth with development as governor.
He assured the envoys that his party would do everything possible to ensure that the state staged a hitch-free election.
The governorship candidate said that he had consistently urged his followers to avoid violence and hate speeches in the course of electioneering.
“This meeting and its timing are not only appropriate but will go a long way in shaping the views of Ekiti stakeholders on the need for a peaceful election, come June 18.
“The visit has confirmed that our dear state is under a global watch.
“However, as a progressive party that values the need for peace in Ekiti before, during and after the election, APC has consistently echoed the need for the issue-based campaign.
“That is what we demonstrated when I publicly presented my manifestoes a few weeks ago, which will serve as my bond with my people,’’ he said.
Oyebanji also stated that as governor, he would ensure that local contents were given priority in public procurement while women’s participation in governance would be scaled up, with 35 per cent affirmation.
This, according to him, will be through the appointment and encouraging women to seek elective posts, without necessarily compromising standards.
NAN