Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti
The Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has disclosed that a total of 635 micro projects have been executed in all the 133 communities across the 16 local government areas of the state since the advent of his second term in office in 2018.
The projects, which he said were at various stages and undertaken through the Ekiti State Community and Social Development Agency (EKCSDA) in partnership with the World Bank, are part of the giant strides of his government towards mitigating the level of poverty in the rural areas.
The governor, represented by the Chairman of EKCSDA, Mr. Yemi Alatise, disclosed this during a stakeholders’ workshop on the report and outcome of the evaluation organised by the agency in Ado-Ekiti on Saturday.
Reiterating the readiness of his administration to continually assist the agency in providing counterpart funds as and when due, Fayemi noted that several life-changing projects in health, education and social services sectors that will bring more dividends of democracy to the people at the grassroots are in the pipeline as embedded in the 2019 budget.
He said arrangement has been concluded by the agency with the chief executives of local governments and community leaders in all the 16 councils to assist the agency on how to maintain and sustain various projects executed by the EKCSDA in their various localities.
“The government will continue to make funds available. All what the communities need is to tap into the various windows created by the government to ensure that the developmental projects they want in the community are achieved.
“EKCSDA has been able to build more than 150 health centres and equipped them with modern health facilities. It has also provided science and laboratory equipment in some schools in the rural areas. We want to assure you that the agency will continue to function properly without interference,” he stated.
A lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, Ekiti State University (EKSU), Prof. Okunlola Olaniyi, said the programme organised by EKCSDA was aimed at evaluating several developmental projects executed by the agency across the state.
The university don called on the beneficial communities to assist the government in maintaining and sustaining various micro projects executed by the agency in their localities.
The Ekiti State’s Statistician General, Mr. Jide Oguntimehin, disclosed that statistics have shown that various projects executed by the agency in the last few years in the state had gradually reduced poverty in the rural areas.
He stressed the need for the members of the benefitting communities to assist the agency by paying their counterpart funds at appropriate time.
“Payment of counterpart funds would not only ensure continuity in the projects of EKCSDA, but would encourage more dividends of democracy at the grassroots,” he said.
