Jiggy Lawyer 🌴 ⚖️

As a son of Ekiti born and raised in Delta State, I still remember my late mother taking us home every Christmas in the 1990s. The first time I saw Ado-Ekiti properly was in the year 2000. It looked different then. A few years later, when I gained admission into UNAD (now EKSU), it was during Governor Ayo Fayose’s first term that Ado-Ekiti got its first major dualised road (apart from the very small, and short one leading to NTA). Fayose later extended dualisation to other parts of the state. Governors Segun Oni and Kayode Fayemi also contributed their own share. Between then and now, the state has developed significantly relative to what it used to be. Ado-Ekiti today has two strategic flyovers: the first built by Fayose during his second term (the Fajuyi–Ojumose bridge), and the second by the current governor. Interestingly, Ado-Ekiti got flyovers before the capitals of Ondo and Edo States, two older states. I’m not comparing the three, but it is a useful pointer that Ekiti is moving. The state is not yet where it should be, and not where we as proud indigenes want it to be. It still needs massive development on many fronts, just like most Nigerian states. But compared to where it was, it is growing. On education, progress is visible. I recently spoke at length with my niece who is a student at EKSU, my alma mater. I told her that relative to what the school used to be, they are “enjoying.” The institution has grown in leaps and bounds. Ekiti now has two state universities (EKSU and Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology) and a state polytechnic. Is there clear room for improvement in these institutions? The answer is a capital yes, but they have made progress. Ekiti also records one of the lowest rates of out-of-school children in the South-West and among the lowest nationally (about 5.1% in the 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Index data). That is another indicator of forward movement. Healthcare and other development indices show upward trends, even as large gaps remain. I know my state still needs very massive improvement on all fronts. But compared with what it was before, Ekiti is progressing, and will keep progressing. For my part, I will continue to call out our leaders when they err, and praise them when they deserve it.