By Michael Babatunde
Ekiti State government, has appealed to the heads of revenue generating offices in the public service to work hard and shore up the monies accruing into the state’s coffers to strengthen the financial base for better performance.
Also, the government assured the workers that Governor Biodun Oyebanji would readily give every incentive required by workers to make the civil service the real engineroom of the state’s economic growth and development.
The Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye, said this in Ado Ekiti, while interacting with the heads of agencies and commissions under her supervision.
Attendees at the meeting were the Permanent Secretary, office of the Deputy Governor, Mr. Abayomi Opeyemi, the Deputy Chief of Staff, Mr. Victor Adeniyi and heads of Ekiti State Boundary Commission, Ekiti State Bureau of Chieftaincy Affairs and Ekiti State Anti-grazing Agency.
Others were ; Ekiti State Emergency Management Agency, Ekiti State Christains’ Pilgrims’ Welfare Board and the Ekiti State Muslims’ Pilgrims’ Welfare Board.
Afuye, in a statement made available to journalists, in Ado Ekiti, by her Media Aide, Victor Ogunje, said revenue generation into government’s coffers remains the best way to engender easy prosecution of the six-point agenda or the current administration.
Sequel to cases of killings, kidnapping and illegal logging being perpetrated in some forests by suspected marauding herders, the deputy governor, charged the anti-grazing Marshalls to ensure regular combing of the sprawling forests in border areas across Ekiti.
Mrs Afuye said; “I am elated by the remarkable contributions that you are making to advance the course of governance and energise easy actualisation of the six-point agenda of the Governor Biodun Oyebanji led government.
“Most interesting is the fact that we are making remarkable progresses in all our sections and this was due to our collective team spirit, industry, dedication, honesty and sense of togetherness that we have shared in the course of performing our duties.
“I want to assure you that the current government under Governor Oyebanji is committed to effectively motivate our workers through prompt payment of salaries, deductions and other emoluments, for smooth running of government’s offices.
“I want our anti grazing agency to comb some of our forests regularly. We have to be security conscious. The saw millers, cattle rearers and those using our forest resources must also be made to pay taxes. It is money that our government used to spend to regenerate those forests.
“I appreciate your efforts so far and solicit for more, so that we can all get to the promised land in the task of delivering democracy dividends to the people, particularly by generating revenues for the running of government unhindered”.
Highlighting the giant strides of his office, the Executive Secretary, Bureau of Chieftaincy Affairs, Barrister Gboyega Morakinyo, said the bureau, had in the last three months cleared legal hurdles for the installation of new monarchs in Ikoyi, Araromi, Ayebode, and some other towns.
In the same vein, Morakinyo added that the bureau, had resolved chieftaincy tussles and effected amendments to chieftaincy declarations in Asin, Araromi- Obo, Awo, Aramoko, Odo -Ora, Omuo and Ahan Ayegunle to ease ascension onto the vacant thrones.
Also, the SEMA’s General Manager, Sir Olajide Borode, said the government, had constantly distributed relief materials to disaster victims to mitigate their sufferings, appealing for improved budgetary allocation to the agency, for optimal performance of its statutory duties.
The Executive Secretary, Ekiti State Muslims Pilgrims Welfare Board, Mr. Isiaka Egbeyemi Also, revealed that a total of 197 slots were allotted to Ekiti by National Hajj Commission in 2023, urging the government to shore up the tally for more participations in the holy voyage.
The Executive Secretary, Ekiti State Anti-grazing Agency, Mr. Sunday Adekunle, said it has spread its dragnets and working hard to arrest marauding herders and destroyers of economic trees in some of the state’s owned forest reserves.
In a similar fashion, the Secretary, Ekiti State Boundary Commission, Surveyor P.A. Olajide, disclosed that the commission has intervened and resolved the lingering Esure-Ilomu, Ilasa-Alu land disputes to restore stability to Ekiti.
