In a bid to alleviate the hardships faced by the people of Ekiti State amidst the ongoing global economic downturn, Governor Biodun Oyebanji unveiled the N12bn Economic Relief Program on Monday.
With a strong commitment to the welfare and well-being of Ekiti residents, the governor urged their cooperation at the local, state, and federal levels.
Addressing the press, Governor Oyebanji highlighted the administration’s determination to not only cushion the effects of the economic situation but also foster economic growth in line with the shared prosperity agenda of the government and President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The Economic Relief Program (ERP) encompasses a range of initiatives aimed at providing immediate relief and long-term sustainability. One of the key aspects is the payment of one-month salary arrears to state and local government workers, totaling over N2.7bn. With this payment, the government has successfully cleared the salary arrears owed to state government workers and is committed to clearing the arrears owed to local government workers within this year.
To support the autonomous institutions, including the judiciary and tertiary institutions, the governor has approved an increase of N600m per month in their subvention. This increase will help these institutions implement the wage award currently being implemented for state and local government workers.
Recognizing the importance of pensioners, Governor Oyebanji has approved the payment of two months’ pension arrears owed to state and local government workers, amounting to N1.5bn. Furthermore, a monthly gratuity payment of N100m to state pensioners has been initiated, along with an increment of the current N50m monthly gratuity to local government pensioners, raised to N100m.
The state government has also allocated N1bn to enhance food production, particularly through the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security’s tractorization subsidy scheme and an input supply program to support small-scale farmers. In addition, the government plans to utilize the recently acquired N1.2bn as the first tranche of the World Bank-financed Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project to transform the livestock subsector.
To bolster the business sector, a partnership with Access Bank has been established to launch a N500m loan program supporting medium and small-scale enterprises. Additionally, a N1bn cooperative fund has been created to offer low-interest working capital to cooperatives and their members.
The ERP also includes N3.5bn allocated for the continuation of the Conditional Cash Transfer to low-income households. The program, known as CARES, focuses on livelihood support, labor-intensive assistance, technological support for small businesses, and support for agricultural produce.
As part of the relief efforts, the government has extended the free bus service for students and workers in Ado-Ekiti and Ikere-Ekiti to include Ekiti State University and other major towns. The distribution of food items to the 177 wards of the state, coordinated by the local government councils and LCDAs, is also underway.
Governor Oyebanji emphasized that these initiatives are in addition to the ongoing infrastructure projects across the state, efforts to enhance power supply to critical areas, and the provision of free malaria treatment for elderly citizens and children. Furthermore, pregnant women will receive free delivery services at all primary health care centers throughout the state.