Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has reaffirmed his commitment to transforming the state into a major tourism and creative economy hub, positioning the sector as a central pillar of his second-term development agenda.

The governor, popularly addressed by his initials BAO, has consistently tied Ekiti’s economic future to its tourism potential, arguing that development cannot be measured by roads and infrastructure alone but by how deliberately a state preserves and markets its history and culture.

He has repeatedly stressed that his vision is for Ekiti to become Nigeria’s leading destination for cultural tourism and one of the continent’s foremost creative hubs, a message he has driven home at public engagements including the state’s annual arts and culture festival, EKIFEST.

Since taking office, Oyebanji’s administration has backed the rhetoric with concrete steps. The state became the first in Nigeria to sequentially produce and secure executive approval for both a Tourism Policy and a Tourism Development Master Plan, giving the sector a formal governance framework for the first time.

The government also broke tourism out of the Ministry of Arts and Culture entirely, creating a standalone Ekiti State Bureau of Tourism Development to give the sector dedicated institutional focus. Flagship assets such as the Ikogosi Warm Springs Resort, famous for its side-by-side hot and cold springs, have been handed to private concessionaires for redevelopment into world-class destinations, while sites like Arinta Waterfall and the Ugele Rock and Cave have been opened up to investors under partnership arrangements designed to protect host communities’ custodial rights.

Infrastructure has also featured prominently in the tourism push, with the completion of the Ekiti Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport, an ultra-modern bus terminal in Ado-Ekiti, and a growing network of upgraded roads all cited by officials as critical to opening the state up to visitors and investors.

The efforts have already begun attracting major players in Nigeria’s hospitality industry, including a recent investment delegation led by La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort founder, Olawanle Akinboboye, who toured the state’s attractions and pledged to work with the Ekiti government on turning them into profitable, experience-driven destinations.

Having secured a second term in office following the June 2026 governorship election, Oyebanji has indicated that tourism, alongside technology, agriculture and infrastructure, will remain a core focus of his administration’s economic programme, as the state looks to convert its natural and cultural endowments into a sustainable source of jobs and revenue for Ekiti people.