….EKITI PROCURES DRONE, APCs TO FIGHT INSECURITY
The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, (SAN), state governors and other eminent citizens are expected in Ekiti State to mark the third anniversary of the Dr. Kayode Fayemi administration. Vice President Osinbajo is expected to commission one of the legacy projects, the Civic Centre in Ado Ekiti for public use on 14th October as part of activities lined up to mark the third anniversary with the theme: “Consolidation… Building for Transformation.”
This was disclosed by the State Commissioner for Information and Values Orientation, Hon Akinbowale Omole, at a media briefing on Thursday in Ad-Ekiti to herald the third anniversary celebration. The Civic Centre, which is located at Fajuyi area of the state capital houses a museum, art gallery, shopping mall, cinema, public library, conference/ event centre, office space among other facilities, is already causing excitement among residents ahead of its inauguration.
Hon. Omole, who was joined at the media briefing by the Secretary to the State Government, Hon Biodun Oyebanji; Head of Service, Mrs Peju Babafemi, Director General, Bureau of Land Servises, Mrs Funke Falodu and Commissioner of Special Duties, Alhaji Ayodele Jinadu, also disclosed that the resuscitated Ikun Dairy farm located at Ikun Ekiti and run in partnership with the Promasidor Group is also slated for inauguration. The Deji Fasuan Model College, built and named after the Chairman of the Committee for the Creation of Ekiti State, Chief Oladeji Fasuan, who turns 90 years old on October 1, will be the first project to be commissioned. The commissioning slated for Friday would kickstart other project commissioning till the end of October.
A major highlight of the anniversary celebration, according the Commissioner , is the Oni Uyi Award ceremony to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the creation of the state. Commenting on the state’s commitment to the security of lives of its citizens and its readiness to tackle crime, the Secretary to the State Government, Hon. Biodun Oyebanji, disclosed that the Fayemi Administration has procured a drone and two Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) in fulfilment of its promise to tackle security challenges and secure lives and property. Hon. Oyebanji said: “The drone has been procured; security equipment have to be manufactured according to specification and end user certificate has to be gotten as well. The drone will get to Nigeria very soon and we will take delivery of it.
“When it gets here, you will be informed because there are lots of protocols to follow. Mr Governor has also procured two APCs and we have embarked on safe city initiatives.” Speaking on Ekiti at 25 and the journey so far, Oyebanji said: “We have left Egypt although we might not have reached the Promised Land. Ekiti is work in progress because every leader that has rules this state has contributed to its growth and development.” On workers welfare, the HOS, Mrs Babafemi said the Fayemi Administration places premium on the welfare of civil servants within the available resources assuring that outstanding welfare issues will be attended to as soon as the state economy improves.
Hon. Omole assured that the Fayemi Administration will do everything within its power to ensure the completion of the ongoing agro cargo airport and other projects it has embarked on before the end of its tenure on October 15, 2022. Speaking on some giant strides of the Fayemi Administration, Hon. Omole said: “Only recently, Ekiti was named as one of the Top Three States out of 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory, in the recently released Transparency and Integrity Index 2021 report published by the Center for Fiscal Transparency and Integrity Watch, supported by the MacArthur Foundation. “Distinguished ladies and gentlemen. In this area, we are very pleased that we would be presenting to you many landmark projects that would be commissioned.
“Infrastructure is something that cannot be hidden – they are there for everyone to see. We have been extra diligent in the implementation of our projects to ensure they stand the test of time and service many generations of Ekiti kete to come. We are happy that we would be commissioning many of our legacy projects including the Civic Centre in Ado-Ekiti “Some of the large scale infrastructural projects facilitated by government’s partnership with development partners include the resuscitated Ikun Dairy Farm, Rice Mills in Ado Ekiti, Cassava Processing Plants in Oke Ako-Irele axis, rehabilitation of major dams, construction of interstate roads, ongoing Agro Cargo Airport, among others and the World Bank alone has executed over 635 micro projects in all the 133 communities across the 16 Local Government Areas in the State.
“We are excited that our enabling laws that makes education free and compulsory for all children in Ekiti from Primary One till Senior Secondary 3, as well as our investments in human capital development has occasioned a verifiable increase in school enrollment in public Primary Schools in the State from 106, 271 in 2018 to 141,982 in 2021, while that of public secondary schools increased from 84,146 in 2018 to 109,140 in 2021 and from 700 to 2,021 for the same period in the area of Technical Education. “I am sure you remember that the administration started with an Executive Order proscribing payment of school fees as well as made education from Primary to Senior Secondary School levels genuinely free, qualitative, and compulsory. Governor Fayemi also paid all outstanding counterpart funds owed by the immediate past administration running into almost N3.6 billion to UBEC for 2016, 2017 and 2018 and an additional N4 billion for 2019, 2020 and 2021.
“It is on record that Ekiti was the first state in Nigeria to pay the UBEC/SUBEB matching Grants for the year 2021. The proactive step of the payment of matching grants totaling N7.6b to UBEC by the Fayemi led Administration prepared grounds for the ongoing massive rehabilitation of school infrastructure and construction of additional school buildings in the state. Speaking on the award ceremony, Alhaji Jinadu explained that the Oni Uyi award would be in two categories: “The Real Architects of Creation of Ekiti State and “The Builders of Ekiti.”
