1. Text of the State Address on the Occasion of 25th Anniversary of
Ekiti State Creation
His Excellency
Dr. Kayode Fayemi, CON
Governor, Ekiti State, Nigeria
Ado-Ekiti – Friday, October 01, 2021.
1. Ekiti Kete,
2. It is my delight to address you on the special occasion of our
nation’s 61st Independence Anniversary celebration. On this
day some six decades ago, the Union Jack which represented
the colonial authority of Britain over Nigeria was lowered while
the Green-White-Green flag of Nigeria proudly rose up and
confidently flew to the admiration of Nigerians wherever they
were.
3. Sixty One years ago, Independence meant for our people, the
birth of a new nation and the rise of a giant on the continent
of Africa. Nigeria held a lot of promises and our founding
fathers were unrelenting in pursuing the dream of a new super
power on the black continent. They never however deceived
themselves that the job of nation building was a picnic. It is an
unfinished business which each generation would continue to
work at. They understood the enormity of the challenge and
took bold steps to frontally confront them. And I dare say, they

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made their marks given the circumstances under which they
operated.
4. As we pay tribute to their service to fatherland, we are to
renew our commitment to the task of nation building and to
begin to set objectives that will usher in a new direction on the
journey of national development.
5. For us in Ekiti, today’s event like every Independence Day
celebration is even more profound. Today marks the 25th
anniversary since our dear State was born. We recall with
nostalgia the uproar of joy that erupted on the streets of every
Ekiti town and village when the military government of Gen.
Sanni Abacha announced the creation of the State in the
national broadcast marking the 36th anniversary of the
country. With the creation of Ekiti and five other States,
Nigerian States became 36 on the occasion of the 36th
anniversary of our Independence. For our founding fathers
and our people at home and abroad, it was a dream come
true.
6. When we look back now, we have every reason to thank God
and the founding fathers who, in spite of the gruelling
difficulty, refused to be daunted in their single-minded
determination to see that Ekiti was created in the pursuit of
rapid socioeconomic development of a people who had fought
different battles, including the Kiriji War 0f 1877-1893.
7. Our progress has shown that the vision which drove the
movement for the creation of Ekiti State was not a misplaced
one. An eloquent testimony to this is the fact that even
though, Ekiti is one of the smallest states in terms of size,
income and population, it remains one of the frontline states
in terms of human and social development indices. It is one of

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the States with the biggest stock of human capital, social
amenities, social investments and steady development
paradigms.
8. It is a thing of pride for us to look back at our humble
beginnings 25 years ago and to see how far we have come
across the various sectors of human development. We have
every reason to thank God for his goodness to us as a people.
9. It is for this reason that the Ekiti Honours Roll (Oni Uyi
Award) this year, which will take place on October 30, 2021
will be dedicated to celebrating the heroes and heroines of the
State Creation movement who paid more than enough price for
us to have this beautiful State of ours.
10. I pay tribute to our traditional rulers who led the State
Creation diplomacy, traversed the corridors of power and the
hallways of our communities and did everything humanly
possible to have the State created. We cannot forget the many
sacrifices made by the State Creation Committee members led
by nonagenarian, Chief Oladeji Fasuan, notable Ekiti
compatriots who used their contacts and resources for the
actualisation of the State.
11. We thank the pioneer civil servants who literally created an
oasis in the desert. We pay tribute to their doggedness,
sacrifice and dedication in spite of the obvious challenges they
faced. Many of them sat under trees, some used their cars as
offices, while many simply operated wherever they could find a
space to stand. It was in this difficult circumstance that they
created a civil service that is one of the most dynamic and
progressive in the federation today.

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12. Let me also pay tribute to the founding leadership of the State
who gave the leadership that ensured that the State was
founded on a solid rock. Special tribute to Late Col. Inuwa
Bawa, the pioneer military administrator whose task it was to
start a new state without a previous experience of how to start
a new state. Yet, he made a spectacular success of his work
with enduring legacies that still bear his signature. We
remember with profound gratitude the role of Navy Captain
Atanda Yusuf who midwifed the State through transition to
democratic order.
13. Immense thanks to Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, CON the first
democratically elected Governor of the state for his service to
the State. We acknowledge his historic role as a pathfinder
and pioneer of many of the enduring state institutions of
today. We thank Mr Peter Ayodele Fayose for his contributions
to various aspects of Ekiti growth and development.
14. I also pay tribute to Chief Olusegun Oni for his service to our
State as Governor. Our State is also grateful to the memory of
Late Major General Adetunji Idowu Olurin for his stabilising
role at a moment of political uncertainty in the state. We
acknowledge other leaders who have led the State at various
times such as : Late Chief Friday Aderemi, Rt. Hon. Tope
Ademiluyi and Rt. Hon. Idowu Odeyemi. May God continue to
water the seed of service that you all planted in our dear State.
15. Ekiti kete, twenty five years is little in a state’s journey, but it
is also a good time to take stock of our trajectory. Let us use
this moment to reflect on the progress and pitfalls that we
have had as a State. While we appreciate the progress we have
made as a people, we need to take some deep introspective
look at where we have not done as well as we should. We must

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set a new bar for ourselves as we reimagine a new future of
our desire and ensure that our development trajectory remains
consistently on an upswing. We must also continuously review
our place within the context of developments in our region and
the nation. Our goal of making Ekiti the destination of choice
for people to live, work and enjoy a life of dignity must be the
constant watchword in our governance framework
16. As your government at this historic moment, we will continue
to strive and ensure that your wellbeing remains the only
reason for our policies and programmes. We remain committed
to the dreams of our founding fathers and we will ensure that
their dream of a proud and prosperous Ekiti continue to drive
our leadership. While the little acorns at birth are now
maturing into sizeable oaks, I ask all to join in this historic
journey because the work goes on and the journey to
greatness continues and we must not relent in our quest for
progress and development.
17. I congratulate us all. This is wishing you a happy anniversary
celebration in moderation and introspection.
18. Alale Ekiti a gbe a.
Dr. Kayode Fayemi, CON
Governor, Ekiti State, Nigeria
Ado, Ekiti – Friday, October 01, 2021

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