Oyebanji: My Gov’t Has Paid Over N31bn As Salaries, Gratuities, Pensions

The Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has disclosed that 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 as the state’s Chief Executive.

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

Oyebanji stated these in Ido-Ekiti, Ido/Osi Local Government area on Friday at a stakeholders’ engagement marking his 200 days in office. The 100 days of governance, had earlier been marked with a similar stakeholders’ engagement in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti Central Senatorial District in January.

At the occasion attended by critical stakeholders such as traditional rulers, traders, labour leaders, transporters, academia, politicians, community leaders, representatives of Parents Teachers Associations, among others, Oyebanji asserted that his government has nedisappointed nor dashed the hope of Ekiti populace in the last 200 days.

The state’s Chief executive said that the stakehold – ers’ engagement, which is designed as a “state -of -the -state address” was a fulfillment 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 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 thahas 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. The Governor 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. Reeling out the breakdown of the financial commitments he has made to solidify the economy, he 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.

He added that 500 Ekiti youths are undergoing training under the Ekiti Digital Economy Initiative to assist them in unleashing their potentials and transforming their knowledge to wealth