By Francis Akinnodi

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The Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has restated his commitment towards ensuring full recovery of the economy through state sustaining and re-energizing old industries and developing new ones.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Commerce, Industry and Cooperative Services, Mr. Olatunji Ifabiyi made the assertion while declaring open a training programme for track agents of the N-CARE Programme held in Akure.
The Nigeria action response and economic stimulus programme with the acronym N-CARE is a joint efforts of the World Bank, Federal Government and the Ondo State Government towards ameliorating the effect of Covid-19 on the economy.
Ifabiyi disclosed that the programme marks the beginning of rejuvenation of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME’s) sector amidst the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic which he said has crippled and destroyed many MSME’s.
He charged the trainees to be attentive and committed, saying posterity would reward them for all efforts they make at ensuring the growth of Ondo State in particular and Nigeria in general.
He appreciated President Muhammad Buhari, the Ondo State government and the technical partners for their immense contributions to the smooth take-off of the programme in Ondo State.
Also speaking, Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Pastor Emmanuel Igbasan, said the inclusion of Bank of Industry (BOI) in the programme is a fall-out of the interaction of the State Government with the management of the Bank on how to manage the programme.
Represented by Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Bunmi Alade, he charged civil servants in the state to act as drivers of the N-CARE programme in their respective offices in order to ensure that the people of the state derive maximum benefits from it.
While urging the participants to be dedicated to the programme, he said the level of competence demonstrated by each trainee will determine their final enlistment in the programme.
Meanwhile, Chairman of Ondo State Micro-credit Agency, Mrs. Kosemani Kolawole averred that the training programme is designed to expose the participants to the rudiments of the programme.
Participants were drawn from the eighteen Local Government areas of the State.