I recently took time to carefully study the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) figures as published on the official website of the Accountant General of the Federation (oagf.gov.ng). From January 2024 to July 2025, Ekiti State’s monthly federal allocation has hovered between ₦6 billion and ₦10 billion.
The ₦10 billion came only once; the most consistent figures remain ₦6–7 billion.
Now, let’s put this in perspective. A former Governor, speaking publicly, pegged the Ekiti wage bill at about ₦8 billion monthly. With the new minimum wage, increased subventions, regular payment of gratuities and pensions, plus ongoing infrastructure projects, this wage bill already dwarfs the most consistent federal allocation. In simple terms: the allocation alone cannot cover Ekiti’s monthly obligations, talk less of development.
This is where ingenuity and prudent management come in. The Ekiti State Internal Revenue Service (EKIRS), under innovative leadership, has raised the State’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from the usual ₦600 million to well above ₦2 billion monthly. This has become a lifeline, cushioning the gap between rising costs and limited federal allocation.
Yet, like others, one of my friends, Lekan asked, Toba, you’re in this government “Why can’t the Governor fix all the federal roads leading into Ekiti?” My answer is straightforward and factual.
Take the Itawure–Iyin–Ado Ekiti road, which spans about 38.6km. For context, the Ado–Akure road (47.8km) was awarded in 2020/21 for ₦30 billion. In today’s economic reality, the Itawure–Ado road would cost roughly the same or more. That means Ekiti would have to commit 5–7 months of its entire federal allocation just to fix a single federal road. But what happens to salaries, pensions, gratuities, subventions, agricultural programmes, and the hundreds of projects under the six strategic pillars of governance? They would all grind to a halt.
This is why Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji (BAO) has chosen prudence over populism. Governance is not about throwing all resources at one shiny project while neglecting other obligations. It is about balance, fairness, and sustainability. Indeed, no Governor can face only one aspect of governance and abandon the rest.
With limited resources, BAO has shown uncommon discipline. At every opportunity, he has praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his support to Ekiti, and rightly so—because only wise stewardship, backed by federal goodwill, can produce the results we are seeing today.
On the Ekiti Project Dashboard (spms.ek.gov.ng), there are close to 700 projects initiated by the Oyebanji administration—some completed, others ongoing—all spread across the State. These touch every sector: infrastructure, agriculture, education, healthcare, and human capital development.
The statistics speak for themselves:
As federal allocation increased, the wage bill also increased.Yet, projects have not slowed down—they have multiplied. Salaries, pensions, and gratuities are being paid consistently. Development footprints are visible across all 16 LGAs.
BAO got the job, and he is delivering the gains. His second term will not be about starting afresh, but consolidating on these hard-won achievements—deepening reforms, expanding infrastructure, and positioning Ekiti for greater prosperity.
In a time of rising costs, competing needs, and limited resources, the Governor has proven that prudent management, transparency, and prioritisation can still produce results. For this, he deserves commendation.
Toba Fatunla