There are achievements that announce themselves with the sound of bulldozers, the movement of cranes and the unveiling of completed projects, but there are also others that are quieter, less visible, and perhaps more fundamental. Peace is one of them. A road can be built, hospital can be equipped, industry can be attracted, investment can be negotiated, but where there is no peace, all these achievements remain vulnerable, and no one can guarantee their sustainability. Development needs stability to take root, grow and flourish, and this is why the emerging international recognition of Ekiti State, under the leadership of Governor Biodun Oyebanji as one of Nigeria’s safest States is more than a flattering statistic.
This recognition is a significant testimony to a culture of governance that has placed stability, cooperation and responsible leadership at the centre of the State’s development journey. At a time when insecurity has become one of Nigeria’s greatest headache and challenges, Ekiti’s relative peace is a priceless asset, and it is not just accidental. Peace is the product of deliberate choices; it has to do with effective security coordination, intelligence gathering, community cooperation and responsible political leadership. It is also the product of a society where disagreements do not necessarily lead to permanent enemity and where political differences are not allowed to destroy the fabric of the State.
Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji’s leadership has largely reflected this spirit of large heart, consultation, inclusion and cooperation. His administration has demonstrated that governance is not only about building physical infrastructure, but also about creating the atmosphere in which citizens can live, work, travel, farm, invest and pursue their aspirations without the constant shadow of fear. This is why Ekiti’s relative peace must now be transformed into prosperity.
A peaceful Ekiti must become an economically productive Ekiti; a secure State which must become an investment destination. A stable Ekiti must become a State where industries can come to locate, farmers can expand production, young people can dream and build businesses, and where tourism can flourish. Investors do not merely look for land and incentives; they also look for security. Industries need stability, tourists need safety, farmers need confidence that their farms and harvests are secure, and Entrepreneurs need an environment where their businesses can grow.
In this sense, Ekiti’s relative peace is not merely a social achievement, it is an economic infrastructure. The challenge before the Governor in his second term is, therefore, not only to preserve this peace, but to strengthen it and build upon it. Ekiti must continue to invest in intelligence gathering, modern surveillance technology, border security, community policing and stronger collaboration among security agencies and neighbouring States. Criminals do not recognise State boundaries, and so, security threats can move from one place to another. Therefore, intelligence sharing and inter-State security cooperation must become even more systematic, with synergy strengthened.
The ultimate purpose of security is development, and now that the first term of Governor Oyebanji has laid important foundations in infrastructure, Human Capital Development, healthcare, agriculture, education, governance and social stability, the second term must convert these foundations into accelerated economic transformation.
Ekiti has the ingredients and wherewithal; it has an educated population, a rich agricultural base, mineral resources, a vibrant entrepreneurial culture, a strong cultural identity and a growing infrastructure network, and, perhaps most importantly, it has peace. The question is: what will Ekiti do with this peace? The answer must be, faster and accelerated growth and development. The peace of Ekiti must become the confidence that attracts investment. It must become the stability that allows agriculture to move from subsistence production to agro-industrial enterprise. It must become the environment in which manufacturing, mining, tourism, medical tourism, technology and entrepreneurship can thrive. These are the vast promising opportunities before Ekiti people during Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s second term.
The first term has demonstrated that stability is possible, and the second term must demonstrate what stability can produce, for in the final analysis, peace is not the destination; peace is the road, and Ekiti’s journey now must be from peace to prosperity, from stability to productivity, from security to investment and from good governance to an enduring legacy.
The international recognition of Ekiti as one of Nigeria’s safest States is therefore not merely a compliment to the present; it is a challenge for the future. It is a reminder that the foundations have been laid. It is an invitation to build higher, and achieve greater feats, and with peace as its greatest invisible infrastructure, Ekiti will enter Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s second term with something every society needs before it can achieve greatness: the confidence to dream, the stability to build and the peace to prosper. By God’s grace and His mercy, we’re surely getting there.
Lanre Ogunjobi writes from Ado-Ekiti
