By Victor Ogunje
In a bid to boost investment and ensure the safety of all residents in Ekiti State, the state government is set to spend a N1.4 billion on the state security network codenamed ‘Amotekun Corps’ in the 2021 fiscal year.
In the same year, the state government has earmarked a total of N8 billion to social services, covering education, health, gender empowerment, social security and other pivotal subsectors critical to the growth of the state economy.
The state Commissioner for Budget, Mr. Femi Ajayi, stated these in Ado Ekiti yesterday during the breakdown of the 2021 Appropriation Bill with a budgetary provision of N109.666 billion.
The state Governor, Kayode Fayemi, had on December 23, 2020, assented to the budgetary provision christened ‘Budget of Recovery and Economic Restoration’, comprising N58. 4 billion recurrent expenditures and N51.6 billion capital expenditures.
To fund the budget, Ajayi said a total of N29.6 billion is expected from the federation account; N8.4 billion as Internally Generated Revenue (IGR); N4.5 billion from tertiary institutions and other sundry sources.
The commissioner stated that the budget was tailored towards resetting the economy to rise to the COVID-19 challenge, and open a new vista in the fight against poverty, engender industrial growth and agribusiness.
He said: “Following the incessant security challenges which include kidnapping, herders/farmers clashes, armed robberies in the country, and to also ensure the security of lives and property in the state, the governor inaugurated the Ekiti State Security Trust Fund known as ‘Amotekun’ in collaboration with other South-west states on October 19, 2020.
“A sum of N1, 444 billion has been earmarked as capital allocation for Amotekun Corps. For procurement of drones for surveillance, the sum of N550million has been earmarked while a total of 320 million will be spent on safety city project, while the Ekiti State Security Trust Fund will gulp the sum of N55 million.”
He said the sum of N2.4 billion had been budgeted to kick off the Bamidele Olumilua University of Science and Technology, while a total of N677 million was earmarked for the school of Commercial Agriculture in Isan Ekiti.
“Because of our preference for human capital development and equality of all genders, the state has proposed to hold a gender summit and a sum of N35 million had been budgeted to realise this ,while the sum of N20 million will be spent on the construction of family court to attend to family issues timeously in the state,” he stated.
On urban renewal development, Ajayi said the sum of N250 million is to be expended on the master plan of Ado Ekiti and Satellite Towns, while the sum of N4.5 million would be spent on ecological programme called NEWMAP.
