From Victor Akinkuolie, Ado-Ekiti
|
Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi, has disclosed that more teachers will be employed in March next year to fill vacancies that exist in public schools across the state.

Egbeyemi also explained that the Kayode Fayemi administration will invest more in agriculture to create jobs, reduce poverty and empower the citizenry.

According to a statement on Sunday by his Special Assistant on Media, Odunayo  Ogunmola, the Deputy Governor disclosed this while addressing the people of Egbe Ekiti in Gbonyin Local Government Area while on an inspection tour of public utilities.

He spoke shortly after visiting Egbe Dam, one of the largest dams in the state which he said has the capacity to serve many communities in the state and neighbouring Ondo State.

Egbeyemi explained that the Fayemi administration will take care of all Ekiti people, irrespective of their party affiliation in providing basic amenities such as good roads, potable water, electricity and other infrastructure.

The Deputy Governor explained that the number of teachers in public schools has become insufficient, hence the need to recruit more hands to teach in public schools.

Egbeyemi said: “We will begin recruitment in the third month of next year, we will employ more teachers. The number of teachers we have now is no longer sufficient. We will recruit more to make up for the shortfall of teachers as a result of retirement.”

Speaking on the government’s plan for Egbe Dam, Egbeyemi disclosed that machinery has been put in motion to power the dam in order to get water across to people of the town and its suburbs.

He added: “We are going round Ekiti to visit abandoned projects, if you get to the dam here, it costs us millions of naira, we are only left with the installation of a power generator that would power the dam.

“Once that is done, within the next six months, you will begin to enjoy water supply. Other towns around including our neigbouring state will benefit from it.”

The deputy governor added that the state government has invited a private investor to revive the Plywood factory at Iluomoba Ekiti, which has the capacity to absorb 200 workers.

In a related development, Egbeyemi has identified agriculture as a sector the Fayemi government will invest in to take many jobless youths off the streets.

He stated this while hosting a delegation from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) led by a consutant to the agency, Dr. Oyesola Oyebanji, in his office.

The deputy governor revealed that the state government had issued a letter of commitment to IFAD on a Value Chain Development Programme saying agriculture has multiplier effects on the economy.

Egbeyemi said: “My Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, is highly committed to agriculture, we want to remove young men from the street and put them into farming business. If they go to farming, they will become better financially.”

“The masses will buy food from them and apart from that, if you plant cassava, there are people who will make garri out of it, there are people who will be selling garri. So it has multiplier effect, for this, we are going to embrace this scheme sincerely,” He said.

Earlier, the Consultant to IFAD, Dr Oyebanji commended the state government for showing readiness to partner the institute.

The consultant said out of the six states visited, Ekiti State was the only State that issued a letter of commitment to the institute.

Oyebanji said: “I would like to commend the State government, out of the six states we have been to, it is only Ekiti State that has given us letter of commitment, which shows the importance you have attached to agricultural development in the state.”

Oyebanji who explained that the scheme focused on cassava and rice production said Ekiti State has potential for rice and cassava production, processing and marketing.