Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has approved a set of relief programmes to alleviate the economic hardship being experienced by the people of the state.

These programmes include the payment of one month salary arrears to state and local government workers totalling over N2.7 billion.

With this payment, Oyebanji said the Ekiti State Government has cleared the salary arrears owed to the state government workers, saying he will ensure the arrears owed to local government workers are cleared this year.

The governor, according to a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Olayinka Oyebode, on Monday, February 26, 2024, also approved an increase of N600 million per month in the subvention of autonomous institutions, including the Judiciary and all tertiary institutions, saying this would allow the institutions implement the wage award being implemented for State and Local Government workers.

Oyebode noted that Governor Oyebanji also approved the payment of two months’ pension arrears owed to state and local government workers totalling N1.5 billion, as well as N100 million monthly gratuity payment to state pensioners and an increment of the current N50 million monthly gratuity to local government pensioners to N100 million.

U.S., Ekiti officials parley on economic growth, cocoa devt

He said the state government has also committed the sum of N1 billion to improve food production, especially to embark on land preparation, driven by the Ministry of Agriculture and food security subsidy scheme, and an input supply programme to support small-scale farmers.

He added: “Similarly, the government is also committing a whopping sum of N1.2 billion it recently got as first tranche of the World Bank-financed Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support (L-PRES) Project to transform the livestock subsector.

“The money would be spent on empowering livestock farmers, boosting livestock productivity as well as creating a conducive environment for youths and private sector involvement in livestock businesses. This will include revamping all veterinary clinics across the local government areas and the state veterinary hospital; development of poultry sector across the value chain from production to processing; Feed formulation and artificial insemination (AI) training and support, among others.

“Additionally, the State is also launching a N500 million loan programme in partnership with Access Bank to support medium and small-scale businesses. This is in addition to N1 billion cooperative fund to provide low-interest working capital for cooperatives and members.”

Oyebode stated that these programmes will ensure that small-scale businesses also benefit from the relief programme and help kick-start the economy.

The CPS said: “The final set of the programmes include a continuation of the conditional cash transfer to low-income households as well as the CARES programme which among others focuses on livelihood support, labour-intensive support, technology support for small businesses and support for agric produce and for which the sum N3.5 billion is earmarked.

“It also includes the free bus service for students and workers within Ado-Ekiti and Ikere-Ekiti, which will now be extended to Ekiti State University (EKSU) and other major towns; and the distribution of food items to the 177 wards of the State being coordinated by the Local Government Councils and Community Development Associations.”

The Star