Written by
Toba Fatunla
As the 2026 gubernatorial election draws near, analysts, pundits, and stakeholders across the board are voicing their thoughts on the kind of Ekiti they desire and envision for the future.
Everyone admires the Lagos storyโor, better put, the remarkable growth and development Lagos has sustained over the years. But we often forget a crucial truth: only continuity births sustainability and stability.
The beauty of continuity lies in its ability to guarantee stability, which in turn drives consistent growth.
Lagos today is a giantโits economy so vast that its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) alone surpasses the earnings of many Nigerian states. It even wields significant influence over the national economy. But Lagos did not arrive at this enviable position overnight. The progress is a product of deliberate continuity.
Since the return to democracy in 1999, Lagos has had just four governors. Ekiti, on the other hand, has had nine within the same period. Even the few who secured second terms never had the advantage of serving consecutively.
The implication of such political instability is clear: rifts, policy reversals, abandoned projects, stalled development, and constant shifts in focus. Every new government spends its early years โsettling downโโunderstudying the stateโs dynamics before finding its footing. By then, one to two years are gone. The third year often tilts toward politics, leaving only a slim window for real governance.
Continuity, however, allows a state to consolidate gains, minimize waste, and set a firm tone for development. It ensures that progress is not dismantled at every election cycle but built upon, layer by layer, for lasting impact.
As the Yoruba saying goes: โIgi yi o dara, a yแป; eyi o dara, a yแป; igi wo lo wa fโแบนsแบน isa gi na?โ (This stick is not good, we remove it; that one is not good, we remove itโso which stick will we eventually use to cook the food?)
It is easy to compare ourselves with Lagos, but if Ekiti truly desires similar growth, we must also embrace the discipline, sacrifices, and continuity that made Lagos what it is today.
Toba Fatunla
Special Assistant to the Governor of Ekiti State on Service Delivery