Shettima Says Tinubu Has Kept Promises as Ekiti Residents Pledge 90% Support for President
Shettima Says Tinubu Has Kept Promises as Ekiti Residents Pledge 90% Support for President
Shettima Says Tinubu Has Kept Promises as Ekiti Residents Pledge 90% Support for President
Vice President Kashim Shettima has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has remained committed to his promises to rebuild Nigeria through economic reforms, infrastructure development and other interventions aimed at improving the lives of citizens.
Shettima stated this on Thursday in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, during the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally, where residents pledged to mobilise 90 per cent of registered voters in the state in support of President Tinubu in the forthcoming presidential election.
The rally also witnessed declarations of support for Tinubu by opposition figures, including governorship candidates of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last Ekiti governorship election.
Speaking at the event, Shettima acknowledged the sacrifices Nigerians had made following the administration’s economic decisions, saying the country was beginning to experience the benefits of the reforms.
He said the President had fulfilled some of his commitments and returned to Ekiti to account for the administration’s achievements while seeking renewed support to complete ongoing projects.
“We know the sacrifices you have made, and we are beginning to reap the benefits of those difficult decisions. His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has remained faithful to the commitments we made to you.
“We have begun to fulfil those commitments, and we have returned to account for the work already done and the tasks that remain. We have come to seek the renewal of your mandate, to continue the partnership we began and to finish the work you entrusted to us,” he said.
The Vice President urged Ekiti residents to sustain the support they gave Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election, assuring them that the Federal Government remained committed to improving healthcare, electricity, education, road infrastructure and agriculture in the state.
On healthcare, he highlighted the conversion of the former State Specialist Hospital in Ikole-Ekiti into a Federal Medical Centre to complement the Federal Teaching Hospital in Ido-Ekiti.
Regarding electricity, Shettima said equipment had arrived for substations in Ilupeju and Ijesa-Isu, while work was ongoing at the Ikere switching station. He added that additional electricity distribution lines had been approved and regulatory authority over the state’s intrastate electricity market transferred to the Ekiti State Government.
On road infrastructure, he listed the Akure–Ikere–Ado-Ekiti road and the Itawure–Aramoko–Ado-Ekiti road among the federal projects receiving attention. He also mentioned other road interventions covering Aramoko, Ijero, Ifaki, Oye, Ikole and Omuo.
Speaking on education, the Vice President said the Federal University of Technology and Environmental Sciences had been established in Iyin-Ekiti, while students of Ekiti State University and Bamidele Olumilua University had benefited from education loans through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
He also highlighted the commissioning of an ICT Experience Centre at Ekiti State University through the support of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), adding that the administration was committed to expanding access to education.
Shettima further listed agricultural intervention programmes that have made fertilisers and planting materials more accessible to farmers in the state.
He said the administration was seeking another mandate to complete ongoing projects and fulfil its commitments to Nigerians, stressing that the decision rested with the electorate.
Governor Biodun Oyebanji, in his remarks, described the opposition figures’ decision to support Tinubu as an indication of the impact of Federal Government projects and interventions in the state.
He said Ekiti residents would use their votes to appreciate the President for approving several federal road projects and other development initiatives.
“We will use our votes to say thank you to a President who has given approval for so many federal roads and other critical projects in Ekiti State. The people of Ekiti will return the President with no less than 90 per cent of registered voters,” he declared.
The APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, also called for support for Tinubu’s re-election, citing the administration’s tax reforms, NELFUND student loan scheme, road construction and establishment and upgrading of federal institutions.
He said the reforms had reduced the tax burden on small business owners, while the education loan scheme had provided financial support to students pursuing higher education.
Similarly, the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, urged residents of Ekiti and other South-West states to support Tinubu’s second-term bid, promising further development for the state if re-elected.
Former APC National Chairman and Deputy Director-General of the Presidential Campaign Council in charge of mobilisation, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, highlighted the student loan scheme, economic reforms, foreign exchange market and recruitment of additional personnel into the Armed Forces as some of the administration’s key interventions.
He said the forthcoming election would provide Nigerians with an opportunity to decide whether to continue with the administration’s policies.
The rally attracted political leaders, serving and former senators, members of the House of Representatives, APC campaign council members and party supporters from across the state.
Shettima Says Tinubu Has Kept Promises as Ekiti Residents Pledge 90% Support for President
