In a bid to rejig the economy, wrestle poverty and make life more abundant for the people of Ekiti State, Governor Biodun Oyebanji over the weekend disclosed that over N31 billion has been injected into the State’s economy.
This amount which does not include other social intervention programmes and loan disbursement to workers, was expended on salary, pension and gratuity in the last 200 days he assumed office.
Oyebanji added since taking over government from October, 2022, to May, 2023 his government has paid a staggering sum of N6.2 billion as subvention to state’s tertiary institutions.
The engagement is becoming a ritual every hundred days, having had similar stakeholders engagement in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti Central Senatorial District in January.
The state’s Chief executive, said the stakeholders engagement, which is designed as a “state -of -the -state address” was a fulfilment of his covenant with the citizens to render account of stewardships every 100 days in office across the three senatorial districts in alternate order.
Oyebanji explained that the sum of $80 million from the African Development Bank (AfDB) would be injected into the local economy to create more jobs for the youths through the Ekiti Knowledge Zone that has just been granted Free Trade status by the Federal Government.
The Governor identified agriculture, tourism, digital technology, entertainment and sports development as critical to the job creation initiatives of his administration.
Oyebanji disclosed that the Independent Power Project started by the immediate past administration of Dr. Kayode Fayemi would come on stream in July to give uninterrupted power supply to government offices, institutions and streetlights in Ado Ekiti, describing the amount being spent on diesel monthly as “unsustainable.”
He stated that a sum N700 million has been approved to pay gratuity of retired state workers and N200m for the local government retirees by May ending, while grant worth N200 million has been distributed to 3,500 beneficiaries.
