Oyebanji: My govt paid N31bn as salary, pension in 7 months

Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, says his government has injected over N31 billion in terms of salary, gratuity, and pension payments to rejig the economy in the last 200 days he assumed office.

Oyebanji said his government has paid N6.2 billion as subvention to state’s tertiary institutions geared towards strengthening the citadels of learning and make them competitive nationally and with their contemporaries in other climes.

The governor stated these in Ido-Ekiti, Ido/Osi Local Government Area of the state on Friday, May 12, at a stakeholders engagement marking his 200 days in office.

At the occasion attended by critical stakeholders like traditional rulers, traders, labour leaders, transporters, academia, politicians, community leaders, representatives of Parents Teachers Associations, among others, Oyebanji said his government has neither disappointed nor dashed the hope of the people of Ekiti State in the last 200 days.

He said the stakeholders’ engagement, which is designed as a “state-of-the-state address” was a fulfillment of his covenant with the citizens to render an account of stewardships every 100 days in office across the three senatorial districts in alternate order.

Oyebanji explained that aside the payment of salaries, pensions, and deductions regularly, another 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 governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi’s administration would come on stream in July 2023 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 N700 million has been approved to pay the gratuity of retired state workers and N200m for the local government retirees by May end, while grant worth N200 million has been distributed to 3,500 beneficiaries.

Reeling out the breakdown of the financial commitments he has made to solidify the economy, Governor Oyebanji said: “On State salary, N11.28bn has been paid, local government; N11.42 bn, state pension; N4.2bn, LG Pension; N3.70 bn, State gratuity; N200 million and LG gratuity; N235 million.”

The governor added that 500 Ekiti youths are undergoing training under the Ekiti Digital Economy Initiative to assist them in unleashing their potential and transforming their knowledge into wealth.

“We also disbursed a total of N70 million to help the poor and N77 million as business support grant. In total, a sum of N31 billion has been injected into the State’s economy as salary, pension, and gratuity from October 2022 to May 2022, apart from other social intervention programmes and loan disbursement to workers,” he disclosed.

Oyebanji said he has taken giant steps to curtail incidences of brain drain in the health sector and redundancy in the civil service, by gradually defraying outstanding allowances for doctors, other medical staff, and workers in general.

Governor Oyebanji added that the state government has carried out 7,949 metres of channelisation and dredging in areas suspected to be critically prone to flooding and erosion in Ado and Ikere Ekiti, to curtail unwarranted loss of lives and property to stormy rainfall.

On infrastructural development, Oyebanji, said his government has completed the Ado-Ilawe-Erinjiyan Road, adding that aggressive works are ongoing on Ikole, Ado township roads, while other inter-city access roads across the state are enjoying attention to make them motorable.

On tourism, Oyebanji said his government has been investing heavily on Ikogosi Warm Spring Resort Centre, which he achieved through strong collaboration with the private sector to make the tourist attraction site more economically beneficial.

To propel investment and local business, Governor Oyebanji promised to reconnect Ayekire, Ekiti East, and Gbonyin Local Governments which have been in perpetual darkness for over a decade to the national grid within the next two months.

“We have released a sum of N1.2 billion to Ekiti State Universal Basic Education as matching grant for the 2022 UBEC fund to initiate capital projects in our schools.

“We have recruited 1,300 teachers to fill vacancies in our primary schools, while a sum of N6.2 billion has been released as subvention to our tertiary institutions,” he added.

The Star

Segun Ojo