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Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, on Wednesday swore in three commissioners and 10 Special Advisers, charging them to work hard to translate his administration’s electoral promises into visible, concrete and life-changing outcomes for the people of the state.

The Governor also said the administration would be guided by discipline, integrity, excellent service delivery, and speed, stressing that he would be impatient with any appointee found wanting in these areas.

Speaking shortly after the swearing-in ceremony at the Osuntokun Pavilion, Government House in Ado Ekiti, Governor Oyebanji said the event demonstrated his administration’s resolve to ensure that the second term takes off without delay, proving that it is not a period for complacency or self-indulgence but an opportunity to deepen governance.

While describing the appointments as a demonstration of his confidence in the appointees’ abilities and an affirmation of their previous contributions to the state, the Governor said he selected them based on their proven capacity and the value they could add to the administration’s success.

Governor Oyebanji urged them to justify the trust reposed in them by redoubling their efforts and delivering excellent results in their respective portfolios to take the state to an unprecedented level of overall development, economic prosperity and sustainable goals.

The Governor further charged them to ensure that every administrative process and project undertaken by their respective MDAs meets the highest standards of technical competence, transparency and strict professionalism, and is executed with remarkable speed in line with global best practices.

The Governor said, ‘Today’s event is a further demonstration of our resolve to ensure that this administration takes off quickly without any further delay and to prove a point that a second term in office is not for complacency or self-indulgence.

‘That you have been recalled to continue your job is a proof of my confidence in you and the affirmation of your performance. I therefore counsel you to resist the temptation of invisibility and indispensability, which could ultimately bring arrogance; at the end of the day, only God is indispensable.

‘I must make it unequivocally clear that I will be very impatient and completely intolerant of any kind of indiscipline, unethical behaviour, and corruption. We must work very hard to successfully translate all our electoral promises into visible, concrete and life-changing outcomes for the citizens’.

Responding on behalf of the newly sworn-in cabinet members, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Dayo Apata (SAN), pledged his colleagues’ commitment to honesty, impartiality, transparency, and hard work in discharging their duties.

Apata, who said their appointments were a call to service, stressed that their swearing-in marked the start of their responsibility to work closely with the government to implement the administration’s agenda for the state’s development.

He said the cabinet members were particularly mindful of Governor Oyebanji’s desire to leave lasting legacies that would stand the test of time and contribute to a better Ekiti State. The Attorney General, however, described public office as a position of trust rather than a commercial enterprise, emphasising that their declaration of commitment was to serve the people with honesty, impartiality and transparency.

While expressing appreciation to Governor Oyebanji and the people of Ekiti State for the opportunity to serve, Apata thanked the Governor for the confidence reposed in them. He assured that the commissioners would hit the ground running, working to translate the administration’s vision into tangible results.

The newly sworn-in commissioners and special advisers later took oaths of secrecy administered in the Executive Council chambers, after which they commenced their maiden Exco meeting.

The Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Justice Husseini Baba-Yusuf, has expressed concern about the rising number of cases filed in FCT courts.

Justice Baba-Yusuf said 30,179 new cases were filed within a year, with 6,727 at the High Court of the FCT, 23,200 at the Magistrate Courts, and 252 at the Abuja Multi-Door Courthouse (AMDC).

However, he expressed delight that the High Court had disposed of 5,625 of the cases before it, while the Magistrate Courts decided 19,292 cases and the AMDC determined 195 cases.

The CJ spoke in Abuja on Wednesday during a special court session to flag off the FCT Judiciary’s 2026/2027 legal year.

He said, ‘The workload indicates that the challenge of pending cases in this jurisdiction, where the demand for justice is rising with each passing day, requires sustained attention.

‘To address this, the High Court has started the process of appointing additional judges.

‘Efforts are also in place to build upon the work already undertaken, improve the consistency of our case-management systems and strengthen the quality and timeliness of judicial service delivery.’

Justice Baba-Yusuf said the court had, within the period under review, placed considerable emphasis on capacity building for judicial officers at all levels and other court staff, adding that facilities were renovated across all Divisions of the Court.

‘In our pursuit of an innovative and technologically driven justice system, two Magistrate Courts in Wuse Zone 2 have been digitised, and plans are already at an advanced stage to expand this initiative,’ he added.

The CJ stressed that, while acknowledging the achievements, the court must remain honest about the challenges it is facing.

He added, ‘The continuing volume of new filings, the stock of pending cases, the need for additional personnel, the maintenance of infrastructure and the demands of digital transformation all require sustained attention

‘The figures presented earlier show that our courts continue to operate under considerable pressure. The response must therefore be deliberate, coordinated and measurable.

‘Institutional reform succeeds through the daily care with which responsibilities are discharged. This therefore calls for strengthening the discipline of case management, improving the accuracy of judicial statistics, monitoring the age of pending cases and encouraging timely compliance with procedural requirements.’

‘To this end, I call upon our staff to approach change with professionalism and a readiness to learn.

‘I also call on our stakeholders to support the infrastructure, resources and safeguards required for sustainable improvement, with full respect for judicial independence,’ Justice Baba-Yusuf stated.

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), hailed the FCT Judiciary for its successes in the last legal year and urged it to continue administering justice fairly and without delay.

Represented by the Director, Civil Appeals, at the Federal Ministry of Justice, Tijani Gazali (SAN), Fagbemi noted the need to better utilise alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to settle some of the disputes that overburden the court.

He said, ‘Arbitration and mediation should be embraced where suitable, particularly in disputes that can be settled amicably,’ adding that lawyers must help the court explore practical measures to reduce the number of cases that reach it.

Fagbemi drew the court’s attention to Section 294(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which he said requires judges to deliver judgments in writing no later than 90 days after parties have adopted their written addresses.

He added that the same section makes it compulsory to make a certified copy of a judgment available to parties within seven days of its delivery.

The AGF regretted that, despite the clear provision of the law, there is a plethora of complaints from aggrieved litigants whose bids to appeal adverse judgments appear to be frustrated by the failure of courts to give them timely access to copies of the judgments.

He said the Federal Government is ready to support efforts to modernise the operations of the court to enhance access to justice for citizens.

Stakeholders are excited over the 1.2km Kaa-Ataba road and bridge project completed by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in Rivers State.

The bridge, described as the longest in the Niger Delta and one of the longest in the country, was completed under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, with Dr Samuel Ogbuku leading the NDDC’s management and board.

While the main bridge measures about 1.2km, the dual-lane roads leading to it, including two other bridges, are said to measure 2km.

Stakeholders said the bridge is particularly significant because it connects many communities hitherto separated by waterways and difficult terrain, creating easier access between the Ogoni and Andoni areas of the state.

The bridge, located in Kaa, Khana Local Government Area of the state, was said to be ready and could be inaugurated by President Tinubu as part of activities heralding the presidential election campaign inauguration scheduled to hold in Port Harcourt on Saturday.

Residents of Ataba and other surrounding communities were particularly excited about the planned inauguration because the bridge ended their years of heavy reliance on boats to access other mainland communities, along with the dangers of pirate attacks and boat accidents.

It was gathered that the bridge was also expected to provide additional access to Bonny Island, complementing the Bonny-Bodo Road, which President Tinubu’s administration also completed.

It was also learnt that the bridge would improve agriculture and commerce by enabling movement of farm products and other goods from the riverine areas to the metropolis, thereby reducing the cost of living.

Residents were also excited that the bridge would make it easier to get to hospitals, schools, and worship centres.

Community leaders and stakeholders in Ataba Kingdom, who spoke about the major infrastructure, hailed Tinubu and the NDDC for constructing the bridge.

They described it as a historic intervention that had ended decades of isolation and hardship in the riverine communities.

They commended Tinubu and the NDDC Board and Management for delivering the infrastructure, which they said had fulfilled a longstanding aspiration of the people.

The Head Chief of Ogogo Village, Chief John Ekwang, said residents were overwhelmed with joy over the bridge, which he described as the longest in the Niger Delta.

Ekwang recalled that for decades, Ataba and neighbouring communities depended on wooden boats to access mainland markets, schools and hospitals, exposing residents to danger and causing loss of life, farm produce and economic opportunities.

He said: ‘For many years, we cried for this bridge. Our children risked their lives crossing the river to go to school. Our women lost their fish and farm produce because there was no road. Today, NDDC has wiped our tears. This is the first time government has truly remembered us.

He assured the commission of the community’s support and cooperation, pledging to mobilise youths to protect the infrastructure against vandalism.

The Chairman of the Ataba Elders Forum, Mr ThankGod Egart, said the bridge would improve the socio-economic fortunes of Andoni people by reducing transportation costs, boosting trade and enhancing security.

‘We have buried people waiting for boats. We have lost perishable goods. With this bridge, our children can now go to school and return safely. Our fish will reach Port Harcourt and Bori fresh. We thank President Bola Tinubu and the NDDC Board and Management for giving us this hope,’ Egart said.

A trader, Mr George Okop, said the project had renewed hope for people engaged in the fishing business, as it would eliminate the need for expensive ice and costly boat transportation to preserve and convey their products.

A school teacher from Ataba, Mrs Sarah Johnson, said travelling from the community to Port Harcourt had been difficult, with residents sometimes waiting for about two hours to secure boat transportation across the river to Kaa.

She thanked the NDDC for constructing the bridge, expressing optimism that it would end transportation difficulties and improve residents’ livelihoods.

It was gathered that the President planned to personally inaugurate the project as part of the activities marking the presidential campaign rally scheduled for Port Harcourt on Saturday.