President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the inclusion of two major federal highways, the Itawure–Aramoko–Ado Ekiti and Aramoko–Ijero–Ifaki Ekiti roads, in the 2026 federal budget, signalling renewed federal attention to Ekiti State’s ailing infrastructure.
The Special Adviser to Governor Biodun Oyebanji on Media, Yinka Oyebode, announced the approval in a statement released on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, in Ado Ekiti.
According to Oyebode, the presidential directive has been formally conveyed to the Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, with Governor Oyebanji also copied in the communication.
“When completed, the two roads will ease movement, enhance inter-state connectivity, and boost commerce, thereby opening Ekiti to greater economic opportunities,” the statement read in part.
He explained that the approval followed the recent visit of Governor Oyebanji and the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, to President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa on November 9, 2025. During the meeting, both leaders reportedly pressed for urgent rehabilitation of several neglected federal roads across the state.
Oyebode noted that the move comes amid widespread complaints and misinformation about the state of federal roads in Ekiti, particularly the Itawure–Aramoko–Ado Ekiti corridor, which has become nearly impassable.
In addition to the new approvals, Tinubu’s administration has already awarded contracts for three major federal roads in Ekiti — the Akure–Ikere–Ado Ekiti Road and the Ifaki–Oye–Ikole–Omuo Ekiti Road — with contractors now mobilised to site.
The Oyebanji government, on its part, has completed the Ado–Iworoko–Ifaki Road and several inter-city and rural link roads within the last three years, a record the state says complements federal efforts.
Governor Oyebanji, through his media aide, expressed “deep appreciation to President Tinubu for his strategic intervention in Ekiti’s infrastructure renewal and other forms of support to the state.”
He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to partnering with the Federal Government, development institutions, and the private sector to improve road networks, power supply, and other critical infrastructure.
