The Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye, has disclosed that Governor Biodun Oyebanji, has shown enough commitments to combat cases of school dropouts, maternal mortality and joblessness in the state.
Mrs Afuye declared that the governor has adopted strategies of affordable healthcare, compulsory primary and secondary school education and massive employment in the civil service to reduce poor indices in those critical areas of the economy.
The Deputy Governor and Chairperson, Human Capital Development Committee, spoke on Monday, while receiving the southwest Regional consultant, Human Capital Development, Dr. Adeyeye Adeyanju in her office in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.
Mr Adeyanju, was led to the office of the Deputy Governor by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Human Capital Development, Hon. Gbenga Agbeyo.
The Deputy Governor, described Human Capital Development as one of the pillars of Oyebanji’s administration, saying the governor has been translating all his promises into actions to free the state from the bondage of underdevelopment.
Mrs Afuye, in a statement by her Media Assistant, Victor Ogunje, posited that the good index being recorded in the areas of health, education and youth productivity, vividly attested to the fact that Governor Oyebanji has been combating challenges affecting those thematic areas of growth and development.
“Ekiti has one of the lowest out- of- school children in Nigeria. In the area of Health, Ekiti is doing very well. Treatment for children below age five and pregnant women are free in all government hospitals.
“There is also a primary healthcare centre in every 177 wards in Ekiti. The centres were not just existing in structures, we have equipment and enough manpower to provide necessary healthcare needs of our people.
“But there is big concern for all of us, which is the way some health experts are leaving the country in droves. This is one area the government at all levels must tackle holistically. But I know that Ekiti has been reacting to that with prompt payment of salaries and allowances of doctors and other health workers”.
Responding, the Regional Consultant, Mr. Adeyanju, saluted Governor Oyebanji for being passionate about Human Capital Development and for making it as a pillar in the policy thrust of his administration.
The consultant bemoaned that health , education, and job creation indices are still poor in the country, lamenting how precious lives are still being lost due to poor access to robust healthcare delivery,
The consultant, said: “It is not that the government has not been doing anything. They had been building hospitals and schools, but to what extent were they able to connect these with the people?
“One fact must be stressed here, we must have a country or state where our children can go to school. Our school enrolments must go up, that is the only way the productive population can contribute to the growth of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“Government must put measures in place to show that no woman dies as a result of pregnancy or any child of school age not having access to school from the primary up to the university level.
“We are looking up to Ekiti State where no woman will die because of pregnancy, where children can live and fulfil their destinies and a state where population can be productive, that is what we are after with the new Human Capital Development policy”.
