When Abiodun Abayomi Oyebanji was being rumoured as the possible governorship candidate of the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, in Ekiti State, many, even including neutrals, felt he was the candidate of the establishment.
Were they right? May be to some extent. The truth is that there is no one among the aspirants that didn’t covet Gov. Fayemi’s support. The nature of our politics and coupled with the fact that our political production factory had produced so many godfathers has created a system whereby someone needs one big fish to push him or her before he or she can successfully swim in our treacherous political waters.
But Oyebanji is more than endorsement. He is bigger than godfatherism and larger than parochialism. Beyond jokes, Oyebanji deserves a place at the top. He merits his day in the sun.
Before now, the talk has always been that those who emerged to superintend over our political affairs have always been those who came outside the state even if their indigeneship can not be faulted. But for the first time, we have someone who we can say he is homegrown.
Biodun was born on December 21, 1967, in Ikogosi-Ekiti to the family of Mr. Ezekiel Kunle and Late Mrs. Esther Oyebanji. He is a former academician, farmer, and public servant, who was until recently the Secretary to the Government of Ekiti State.
He had all his education in Ekiti. Check them out: Baptist Primary School, Ikogosi- Ekiti, Awo Community High School; C.A.C. Grammar School, Efon-Alaaye; and District Commercial Secondary School, Aramoko-Ekiti.
The only time he stepped out of the land of his birth for educational purposes was when he was at the Federal School of Arts and Science, Ondo State. And he was back again. This time, it was the then Ondo State University (now Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti) where he picked up a Bachelor’s degree in 1989. He majored in Political Science. Then he was at the premier varsity, the University of Ibadan, where he bagged a Master Degree in Political Science with special focus on International Relations Strategic Studies. This was in 1992.
Starting as a young graduate striving to make something out of life, Biodun was at the Department of Political Science, University of Ado Ekiti, where he worked as a lecturer for four years between1993 and 1997 before moving on to the financial services industry, serving as Manager, Treasury, and Financial Services at the defunct Omega Bank Plc (now Heritage Bank) till May 1999, when he commenced an illustrious career in politics and governance.
He is one of the longest serving political office holders in the Government of Ekiti state, haven served for over 11 years in various capacities including.
Check this out:
• Special Assistant (Parliamentary Affairs) to the Governor of Ekiti State (June 1999 – July 2001);
• Special Adviser (Parliamentary Affairs) to the Governor of Ekiti State (Aug. 2001– Sept. 2002);
• Chief of Staff to the Governor of Ekiti State (Sept. 2002 – May 29, 2003);
• Chairman, Governing Board, Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre, Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development (June 2009 – Dec. 2010);
• Commissioner, Ministry of Integration and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Ekiti State (December 2010 – December 2011);
• Head, Office of Transformation Strategy and Delivery (OTSD), Ekiti State (December 2011 –January 2013);
• Commissioner, Ministry of Budget, Economic Planning and Service Delivery, Ekiti State (January 2013 – October 2014);
• Secretary to the Government of Ekiti State (October 2018 – December 2021).
A devout family man, Biodun is married to Dr. (Mrs.) Olayemi Oyebanji, a senior Lecturer in the Department of Educational Management, Faculty of Education, University of Ibadan, who is a seasoned scholar with over 80 publications in the field of Institutional Administration, Higher Education, Quality Assurance in Education, Human Resource Development and Leadership in Education. They are blessed with children.
With this CV, it is obvious that Biodun is more than endorsement. It is a disservice to his rich background and impressive pedigree.
In life, we need a push. We need a positive nudge to reach our goal.
But we also need to be ready for the push and be prepared for that nudge.
Biodun is more than ready for his own political push and career nudge.
He surely deserves his day in the sun…
