Oyebanji suspends commissioner five days after inauguration

Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji has suspended with immediate effect the newly inaugurated Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Home Affairs, Olaiya Atibioke over absenteeism.

Oyebanji in a statement by his Special Adviser on media, Yinka Oyebode said Atibioke who was inaugurated alongside 18 other commissioners and 14 Special Adviser on August 8, was suspended for two weeks.

According to Oyebanji, the commissioner’s offence was his unauthorized departure from the venue of the three-day retreat for members of the State Executive Council and Permanent Secretaries which ended at the weekend in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

The statement read, “The Commissioner had left the venue of the retreat without permission. He was nowhere to be found when commissioners were called upon to sign the performance charter.

“Governor Oyebanji had sat through all the sessions of the three-day retreat which commenced on Thursday. He had, in the course of his presentation, reiterated the administration’s zero tolerance for indiscipline and poor performance.”

Oyebanji while giving his closing remarks at the retreat said the new cabinet members must be ready to make sacrifices for the growth and development of the State.

“I know some of the new commissioners and advisers are my friends but friendship stopped from the day you took the oath of office and I will encourage us to perform to expectations.

“Let me make it clear again, I won’t hesitate to remove anyone of you who failed to perform in his or her roles because we have made promises to people of Ekiti state,” he said.

Meanwhile, in a communique released after the retreat and signed by the Commissioner for Information, Taiwo Olatubosun, the cabinet members agreed that different Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) should develop work plans in line with the development plan and the six-pillar agenda of the administration to guarantee growth, development and shared prosperity to the state.

It was also agreed that the educational curriculum in the state would be improved upon by introducing the study of artificial intelligence and robotic technology across schools in the State.

The communique reads, “That participants should have the right mindset by prioritising the interest of the citizenry and implementing programmes and projects that will add value to the people of the State.