*Says Ekiti, an Ailing State of a Dying Mother Nation

A foremost legal icon, Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), has said Ekiti State was still a toddler in view of the low development in all spheres over the last two decades.

Babalola, who spoke in commemoration of the state’s 25th anniversary, regretted that the past and present governments had failed to achieve the lofty dreams envisaged by the founding fathers at its inception in October 1, 1996, under the military regime of the late Gen. Sanni Abacha.

Expressing reservations over the seeming parlous state of the state in the last two decades, Babalola, in a statement by the Director, Corporate Services, Afe Babalola University, Tunde Olofintila, said the state needed a lot to be done before it could be regarded as really toeing the path of greatness.

“Today, October 1, in the year of our Lord, 2021, Ekiti State is 25 years old. We thank God for those of us, who are still alive to witness the 25th year after the creation of our dear state relishly called The Fountain of Knowledge and the The Land of Honour.

“However, for me, there is nothing to celebrate by engaging in any social gathering. As one of the active founders of our state, I confirm that our hope was that the state would be nurtured to become the showpiece among the comity of states in
Nigeria.

“Regretfully and up till now, Ekiti has not achieved the anticipated lofty objectives of the founding fathers. Twenty-five years after its creation, Ekiti state remains a land-locked, motorway-locked, airport-locked, rail-way locked, industry-locked and power-locked, a development which adversely affect economic development in the state.

“Today, Ekiti State has the worst road network in the country, while the only industry in Ekiti even before Ekiti State was created, the O’odua Textile Industry, established during the Chief Obafemi Awolowo regime, has folded up. To compound matters, the state lacks the necessary infrastructure to attract investors to the state. Today, Ekiti State remains an ailing state in the hand of a dying mother nation,” Babalola regrets.

He bemoaned that local governments in Ekiti still lacked the necessary funds to assist farmers with farm equipment like tractors, bulldozers, pay loaders, low loaders and riggers, which they used to rent out to farmers at subsidised rates as it was before the creation of the state.

“Looking at the position of things in Ekiti, today, I am beginning to doubt if those of us (dead and alive), who fought for the creation of Ekiti State, were right in opting out of the bigger Ondo State.

“There are many villages in Ekiti without electricity for years. The roads are worse than ever before, the Airport, which we thought would support Ikogosi Warm Spring remains a dream, industries that would have produced employment are non-existent, our highly qualified professionals are migrating to other states, where they locate their businesses and pay their taxes.

“It is a notorious fact that apart from Gombe State, Ekiti State receives the least allocation from the monthly Federal Government allocation to states. It will interest you that Ekiti was contributing as much as 52% of the total revenue of the Old Western Region through the instrumentality of agricultural produce. “But all that would appear to have disappeared, no thanks to the advent of oil, which drew people away from their otherwise lucrative pastime of farming, which used to fetch them handsome income in the days of yore. All said and particularly from the gruesome picture painted above, there is nothing for Ekiti State to celebrate at 25. Unfortunately, the National Assembly, successive Governors and Ministers to who I have personally written petitions have ignored them,” Babalola regretted.