The outgoing Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has urged residents to extend support to his successor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, to sustain the tempo of development in the state.

The governor expressed optimism that the state would witness infrastructural growth as the incoming administration would consolidate on his achievements.

Fayemi stated this yesterday during a thank-you tour of the three senatorial districts to mark his 4th year anniversary and end-of-tenure.

The governor, in company of his wife, Mrs Fayemi, Oyebanji, his wife, Mrs Olayemi Oyebanji and other government officials and party officials, were hosted to rousing reception at the senatorial headquarters.

Addressing the carnival-like gatherings, Governor Fayemi, whose tenure will  end on October 16, said his administration had delivered on its promises to the people despite the financial challenges experienced in the last four years.

While noting that his administration had provided infrastructural facilitates that would boost socio-economic activities of the state, the governor expressed utmost confidence in the ability of his successor to move the state to enviable heights.

He thanked the people and party leaders for giving him the opportunity to serve, promising he would continue to render selfless services for the development of humanity.

“Really, it is a moment of gratitude, you have stood by us as a party, you have worked hard for the success of our government, you have sacrificed in order for us to maintain the developmental pace that we have witnessed in the state. We could have done a lot more, but we never envisaged that there will be something called Covid-19 pandemic when we came in in 2018, but by March 2020, Covid-19 had come and it locked us down for at least 18 months before life started returning to normal.

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“But we did not let that deter us, we still tried as much as possible to fulfil the promises we made to our people either in terms of our education, healthcare, infrastructural development, women empowerment or agriculture. We tried to maintain all of those improvements that we promised our people. Whatever is left, our government, our party is still in office.

“And we also have a governor who had institutional memory of what happened up till now, not just from the last 8 years of my own tenure, he also had the benefit of even being there when our leader, Otunba Niyi Adebayo was Governor between 1999 and 2003. So in terms of institutional memory, he is even better placed than I was placed when I became governor in 2010, he would be able to continue seamlessly when he gets to office and in the areas where he still requires advice, assistance, support, I can assure you that he has nothing to fear, we would continue to be there for him.

“I want to also seize the opportunity to thank our party leaders, they have worked hard in order for us to gain the support that we have had at a very difficult time, it is not easy for a government or party that is in office to win an election because whatever is wrong in that society would be blamed on the party and the fact that you worked hard in order to retain us in office is not a mean feat at all and I must thank you from the bottom of my heart and also pledge to you that I am not running away from the party, I’m going to be fully involved in the party, we would all work with him to ensure that the party delivers on the expectations of party members and the larger Ekiti population”, he said.

He used the opportunity to appeal to those he might have crossed their paths in the course of his administration and begged for their forgiveness.