Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji has publicly celebrated his wife, Prof. Olayemi Oyebanji, on her birthday, issuing a personal tribute that was released through his Chief Press Secretary, Olayinka Oyebode, in Ado Ekiti on Sunday, according to Punch Newspapers.
In the message, the governor thanked his wife for her affection and encouragement and called her a source of light in his life. He described the day as one set aside for her, praising her resilience, her generosity of spirit and the steadiness of her faith, which he said gives him strength.
The governor's tribute also carried a series of prayers for the year ahead. He asked that she receive fresh blessings, that new opportunities open for her, that her plans come to fruition and that she enjoy peace and growing fulfilment. He closed by expressing the hope that he would continue to have the chance to bring her happiness in the years to come, Punch Newspapers reports.
The state chapter of the All Progressives Congress joined in with its own message, issued on Sunday by Publicity Secretary Segun Dipe under the title "Happy birthday to our Baoress, Prof. Olayemi Oyebanji." The party said the occasion was not simply about marking another year but about honouring what she represents for Ekiti State, Nigeria and the wider public.
Why it matters
The twin messages place the First Lady's record of public work alongside her personal milestone, and they come from the two most visible political voices in the state. In a state where the governor's household is closely followed, the tone of the tributes signals how the administration frames the role of the First Lady: less as a ceremonial figure and more as a partner in service with her own portfolio of programmes.
The APC statement leaned heavily on that record. According to the party, Prof. Oyebanji arrived at the Government House with a long background in teaching rather than as a newcomer to public service, having spent more than twenty years in classrooms at Ekiti State University and the University of Ibadan.
Programmes cited by the party
Dipe's statement listed several initiatives associated with the First Lady. One is the Widows, Aged, Orphans and Homeless Hope project, which the party said has brought relief to people facing difficult circumstances. Another is the Girls for Safer Space Fellowship, described as an effort to build confidence and safety among female students in the state's tertiary institutions. The party also pointed to a Back-to-School Project, which it said has provided bags, books and other learning materials to more than 10,000 children in Ekiti.
The party's description of her centred on what it called grace, scholarship, compassion and humility, framing her contributions as a gift to the state and to the country at large.
The birthday messages follow another recognition that drew official attention. Punch Newspapers reports that in October 2026, the Ekiti APC chapter and the State Universal Basic Education Board both congratulated the First Lady after the University of Ibadan elevated her to the rank of professor. At the time, the party said reaching the top of an academic career was not only a personal achievement but something the whole state could take pride in.
That earlier congratulation and Sunday's tributes together sketch a public profile built on two strands: a scholarly career spanning more than two decades and a set of social programmes run from the Government House. Both strands were invoked in the weekend statements, with the governor speaking in personal terms about his wife's character and the party speaking in institutional terms about her service.
The statements were released in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, and carried by Punch Newspapers. Neither message included details about how the birthday was marked privately, and no further official events were announced.
What to watch: whether the First Lady's office issues a response to the tributes, and whether the programmes highlighted by the APC receive further funding or expansion in the state's coming budget cycle.
