By Demola Atobaba, Ado-Ekiti
The Executive chairman of Okemesi/Ido-Ile Local Council Development Area of Ekiti State, Hon. Sunday Owolabi Ajibade, has commended the the governor of the state, Mr Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji on the emergence of Ekiti State as first in terms of compliance with Transparency and Accountability in the management of public funds and implementation of public policies in the 36 states of the federation.
He described the ranking as a reflection of the commitment of Mr governor to good governance since he assumed office in the last one year.
Hon. Ajibade stated this in a release made available to TopNewsng in Ado-Ekiti, adding that the ranking of Ekiti as first among the states of the federation speaks volumes an administration that places high premium on giving its citizens unrestricted access to vital information regarding governance, public finance, budget and government audited accounts.
The former member of Ekiti state House of Assembly hailed the Mr Oyebanj for doing the state proud among the comity of states by passing the integrity test of governance.
It would be recalled that the Center for Fiscal Transparent and Integrity Watch Index was on Friday released its 2023 index annual assessment of 36 states of the federation, taking into account the six key areas in assigning the scores which included open budget, accessibility, public procurement, human resources, anti- corruption and citizens engagement.
According to the report, it was revealed that Ekiti, Kaduna and Ondo states occupy the foremost positions as the three most compliant states with Ekiti State securing the highest score at 61.32% earning it the top rank. At the lower end of the compliant spectrum are Ogun, Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom states respectively.
The Council Boss said, “It was not surprising that Ekiti State emerged first among states of the federation considering all the parameters deployed by the Center (TII) to arrive at the ranking.
“Ekiti people, especially the keen watchers of various developmental strides and programmes being witnessed in the state would concur that the State Governor, Mr. Biodun Abayomi has been steadily keeping faith with his campaign promises of running open, transparent and all inclusive government”.
The statement reads in part: “I want to rejoice with Mr. Governor for attaining this lofty feat. The ranking of Ekiti State as overall best in Nigeria after critical and thorough assessment of all the states of the federation in terms of compliance with the Transparency and Integrity Index variables, further lends credence to the reason Governor Biodun Abayomi’s administration has decided not to tamper with funds meant for the local governments in the state. And that’s why critical projects of development are seen every where in Ekiti today.
The LCDA Boss, therefore, called on the people of the State to continue to render necessary supports to the Governor for him to be able to continue projecting the image of the state positively through implementation of the people-oriented programmes and policies.
Financially Hon Ajibade congratulated the All Progressives Congress (APC) across the state, stakeholders, party leaders and all well-meaning Ekiti residents for this feat.
