By Success Afolayan.
In fulfilment of the Ekiti State Government’s pledge to alleviate poverty among the vulnerables, the Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye, has floated a social security scheme for 110 aged and widows in Ikere Local Government Area of the State.
According to the Deputy Governor, the beneficiaries, drawn across the 11 wards in the Council, would receive a sum of N5,000 Social Security stipend monthly, to palliate their sufferings.
Mrs Afuye, represented by the Deputy Chief of Staff, Mr Victor Adeniyi, said the scheme was targeted at alleviating poverty among the vulnerables in the council, particularly widows, with an aggregate population of 15 million in Nigeria.
Defending the rationale behind large number of women selected as beneficiaries, Mrs Afuye, said available statistics confirmed that women were the worst hit in the country’s poverty index, with 3.5 million of their 15 million population deemed to be facing intense neglect and deprivation.
The Deputy Governor, according to a statement by her Media Aide, Victor Ogunje, buttressed the fact that the scheme was in consonance with the Human Capital Development policy of the Governor Biodun Oyebanji-led government.
She said Governor Oyebanji’s is incurably resolute to tackle poverty in the state, by giving financial and emotional support to the women and other vulnerable groups to make them contribute to the socio-economic development of the state.
The Deputy Governor, said the social security safety net, would also help in creating a balance between the dependant and productive population of Ekiti, to stabilise the polity.
Mrs Afuye said: ” Governor Biodun Oyebanji upon assumption of office promised that no Ekiti person worth suffering on account of age, gender ,health and poor financial status.
“I want to express my confidence and belief that this scheme would respond positively to the yearnings of the captured population. This is a sign that Governor Oyebanji is a welfarist and masses-loving leader.
“During the Christmas and New year’s festivities, I visited all the 11 wards and made substantial donations and I promised that 10 aged, widows and vulnerables from each of the wards will benefit from this safety scheme that was devised to reduce poverty in Ekiti from January and that is exactly what we are doing today.
“The beneficiaries were generated by the ward chairmen and councilors, not by me. I allowed each ward to compile the lists , so that the right persons can be captured as beneficiaries.
“This shows that hope has not lost. Let us be hopeful as Nigerians . We are also assuring you that those left out will be captured in other programmes to be instituted by the government to palliate the sufferings of the poor masses”.
Mrs Afuye appealed to the beneficiaries and Ekiti populace, to vote for the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate in the February 25 poll, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu , so that the dividends of democracy being savoured under the current government can continue.
“You must vote for APC across all elections . We have Senatorial ,House of Represenatives and House of Assembly’s candidates, I plead with you, vote for all of them to complement what Governor Oyebanji is doing to develop our dear state”, she stated.
Some of the beneficiaries, Mrs Veronica Ayeniyo, Mrs Abiola Florence, Mrs Alatise Racheal and Mr. Akinlaja Zaccheus, praised the Deputy Governor for exhibiting welfarist approach to governance.
They said this has sent a signal that Ekiti populace didn’t make any mistake for electing Governor Oyebanji and Mrs Afuye joint ticket in the 2022 governorship poll.
The beneficiaries promised support for all the APC candidates in the 2023 elections, to sustain the good works being engendered by the current government.