Abiodun Oyebamiji, who was elected governor of Ekiti State on June 18, formally takes over from his predecessor, Kayode Fayemi, whose tenure officially ends today.

As part of activities signalling the end of his second term tenure, the immediate past chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Dr. Kayode Fayemi, attended a modest pull out ceremony at the Government House which drew the curtains on his administration.

Before then, he had attended the official inauguration of the state’s Agro-Allied Passenger International Airport in Ado Ekiti. This occurred shortly after the first airplane landed at the facility.

The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, who performed the inauguration of the airport, was among the personalities on board the airplane, which flew all the way from Abuja to make the historic landing in Ekiti.

The development has enabled Ekiti to become the owner of a functional airport, which is expected to boost export of agricultural produce, service educational and health institutions and abundant tourism potentials in the state.

The first airplane, ATR 42 Nigerian Air Force plane, piloted by Flight Lieutenant E.A. Balogun, landed at the airport’s runway at exactly 10.20am amidst cheers and excitement by eminent guests, government officials and members of the public, who came to witness the historic occasion.

Fayemi expressed satisfaction that the project eventually saw the light of the day 10 years after its conception during his first administration in 2012.

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A fulfilled Fayemi in his speech said: “My job is done, Ekiti Kete,” which drew a thunderous applause from the crowd that massed on the tarmac to be part of the auspicious occasion.

Fayemi also used the occasion to give an assurance to the people of the state that the federal roads which are in dilapidated condition would be given attention to bring relief to their users and complement the newly inaugurated airport project.

The governor said he, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo and the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe, have been “making strong representations to the Federal Government to facilitate urgent intervention on federal roads in the state that are in present state of disrepair”

Shortly after the plane landed and taxied to the tarmac, the excited crowd of residents and guests drew out their phones to take pictures of the moving aircraft and enthusiastically welcomed the Aviation Minister and officials off agencies under his ministry, who disembarked from the aircraft.

In his welcome address, Mr. Zhang Zichen, the Chairman of China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), which handled the project, praised Fayemi for the vision, which he said would change the face of the state economy.

Zichen explained that the airport was not just a project but, “the engine of the economy of the state” said it would open up Ekiti to more development and investment to the benefit of the state and business community.

The CCECC boss, who also described the airport as a “landmark project”, said it was among notable projects completed by its corporation. He also hailed the Aviation Minister for being part of history and making the airport a reality.

Fayemi said the inauguration of the airport was in fulfillment of his promise to continue to work for the people of the state day in office, saying the project saw the light of the day despite the very limited resources available to the state.

The governor noted that his administration defied the challenges of COVID-19 which affected global, national and state economies to ensure that the dream of the airport became a reality which culminated in the test landing of the first flight on his last day in office.

Going down the memory lane, the governor recalled that the move to start the project began during his first tenure in 2012 with a Committee on the Viability of the Airport led by legal luminary, Aare Babalola, raised by his then administration noting that the Committee submitted its report in 2012.

According to him, his first administration through the State Executive Council considered and approved the report submitted, which was accommodated in its plan for 2013-2015 Medium Term Sector Strategy but the plan was halted by his exit from office after the 2014 governorship election which placed the project on suspension.

The governor said his successor in office, Mr. Ayo Fayose, embraced the idea to continue with the project but it couldn’t see the light of the day until the tenure ended in 2018.

He said further: “Upon my assumption of office in 2018, I appointed aviation experts and industry related officials to kickstart the implementation of the project. They made several Advocate visits to communities in order to meet the requirements for the establishment of the airport.

“The administration took the following steps: We secured the approval, the revalidation of approval from the Federal Ministry of Aviation. We also secured the Department of State Services (DSS) clearance; we paid all the necessary fees for the construction, planning and certification to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and conducting Environmental and Sustainability Impact Assessment.” (Sunday Telegraph: Text, excluding headline)

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