The Ekiti State governor, Biodun Oyebanji has directed chairmen of local government councils and local council development areas in the state to mobilize and distribute food items to citizens in their respective council areas to cushion the effect of the current economic situation in the country.
A statement issued by the Special Adviser to the governor on Media & Publicity, Yinka Oyebode today in Ado-Ekiti, the Èkiti State capital, stated that the distribution of the food items, according to the governor, would complement the various palliative measures put in place by the state government in the short term, adding that the councils should invest in agriculture as a way of forestalling future food crisis.
Governor Oyebanji who gave the directive during a meeting with the local government chairmen and officials of the Ministry of Local Government Affairs in Ado-Ekiti on Wednesday, according to Oyebode, had also approved the release of the sum of N331,000,000 (three hundred and thirty- one million naira) for the purchase of rice, stressing that 25 bags of rice should be given to each ward in all the local councils.
The governor, the statement disclosed, however, cautioned that the food distribution should not be done on partisan basis, but given out to the people through recognised community development associations.
The governor, according to Oyebode, also implored the chairmen to focus more on policies and programmes that would reduce the current social and economic tensions among the people.
Oyebode stated while assuring the people that his government would continue to prioritize the welfare and wellbeing of residents of the state, Governor Oyebanji said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was committed to improving the socio-economic condition of the country.
The governor, the special adviser said, therefore, urged the people to remain optimistic that the policies of the federal government would achieve the aim of improving the country’s economy and fostering national development.
Oyebode also disclosed that Governor Oyebanji would, next week, roll out more economic relief programmes aimed at cushioning the effect of the economic situation on the people.
