Fayemi: My Govt Paid N1bn to Pensioners in 2021

Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has revealed that his government paid a staggering N1 billion to pensioners in the 2021 fiscal year.

The governor, however, assured assured residents of the state of his administration’s resolve to focus more on rehabilitation and reconstruction of township roads in 2022 to bring about meaningful development and boost the general economic status of the people.

Fayemi, who stated this yesterday during his monthly radio and television programme, tagged: ‘Meet Your Governor’ said, he would continue to ensure adequate welfare of the people of the state by ensuring that he addressed projects and programmes that would enliven their lives and add values to their welfare.

The governor, who reiterated that his administration had paid over N1Billion to pensioners to ameliorate their suffering despite the dearth of fund, noted that his government had already looked for ways through promissory note with financial institutions to access fund to clear the backlog of gratuity but for one reason or the other, the pensioners rejected the agreement.

He, however, said the roads that would be urgently addressed were the Ado Ekiti-Iworoko road that was awarded during the Segun Oni administration and was abandoned, the Omisanjana-Ajebamdele road; Odo-Ado axis as well as Igirigiri road up to the Ado Local Government headquarters, saying his government was not oblivious of some of the challenges inside town and promised to address the roads before the commencement of therainy season next year.

Other roads already slated for rehabilitation according to the governor, included Ilawe-Ikere,Iloro-Ijurin-Ayegunle-Temidire road, Ifaki-Esure-Eyio-Awo road and Itapa-Ijelu-Omu road,adding that his administration was also cooperating with FERMA to address and ensure rehabilitation of federal roads.

He hinted that his administration had made efforts to construct the Ado-Ikere-Akure road but that the federal government said it would do it despite the fact that his administration had accessed fund for the road project. He explained that the fund has been given to the federal government, which, had in turn, awarded the road to a contractor.

Fayemi promised the people of the state that 2022 election would not distract him in his drive to improve the lots of the people through various programmes and projects that his administration had already initiated for 2022.