By Olugbolade Ogboro-Cole
The Ekiti State Government has once again demonstrated it’s commitment to the fulfillment of it’s local content agenda, as Secretary to the State Government, Professor Habibat Adubiaro, stormed the bustling Adere Ram Market in Ado Ekiti on Friday to personally interface with local ram sellers ahead of the 2026 Sallah celebrations.
Governor Biodun Oyebanji through his representative, Prof.Adubiaro directed that all Sallah rams for Muslim faithfuls be sourced exclusively from indigenous sellers within the state, shutting out external contractors and keeping the state’s Naira in Ekiti pockets.
“In line with his Shared Prosperity Agenda, the Governor has directed us this year again to patronize the Ekiti State ram sellers,” Professor Adubiaro declared, flanked by traders from diverse ethnic backgrounds. “We are buying this year’s Sallah rams from them instead of patronizing contractors outside,
This has really helped our people economically — economic activities have truly improved.”,she noted.
The initiative, which kicked off in 2022, has become a cornerstone of the Governor Oyebanji’s administration of people-first philosophy.
The SSG revealed that the Governor’s unwavering belief in Ekiti people has transformed what was once a seasonal trade into a thriving economic ecosystem that cuts across tribal lines.
“He believes so much in the people of Ekiti,” Adubiaro emphasized. “And he believes that if you patronize them, equity and economic activities will improve,she stressed.
In what political analysts are already calling a masterstroke of governance-meets-politics, the ram sellers did not mince words about their electoral gratitude.
They unanimously declared that they will work towards giving the governor one million votes surpassing the projected five hundred thousand votes by the party.They said it that they are going to repay the gesture by voting overwhelmingly for the Governor come June 20 because he has done exceedingly for the association.
Alhaji Ilayas Bello State Chairman Ram Sellers association Ekiti State also hinted the Governor’s plans of extending the market space and modernizing it through the L-PRES projects initiative which he said would further improve ram business in the state.
With 1,032,000 registered voters in Ekiti’s electoral register, the Governor’s team is eyeing a landslide that could rewrite the state’s political history.
The most striking image from the Adere Market visit was the visible harmony among traders from various ethnic groups — a deliberate outcome of Governor Oyebanji’s inclusive governance.
Similarly,Chief Mary Ekeolere, Iyaloja Ram Sellers Ekiti State in an interview explained that the market itself served as a living testament because we have Yoruba, Hausa, and other ethnic traders conducting business side-by-side, all beneficiaries of the state’s patronage.
Alhaji Ibrahim Yakubu chairman Oke Oniyo Ram Sellers Ado Ekiti noted that the difference is clear financially because they usually sell in bits during festive periods but since the governor came on board the government buys in bulk with every one smiling to the bank.
He assured that the market sells quality livestock because all their livestock pass through all safety measures.
As the 2026 governorship election draws closer, Governor Oyebanji has continued to implement economic empowerment programs that involve local communities. The ram sellers have publicly pledged to vote for the Governor, and local market activity has increased during the initiative.
The secretary to the state government was accompanied to the market by the director general bureau of community communications Hon.Mary Osho Omotosho.
The Adere Market initiative involves traders from multiple ethnic groups conducting business together as beneficiaries of state patronage. The program was launched in 2022 and has continued through the current election cycle.
