Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti
Ekiti State First Lady, Dr. Olayemi Oyebanji, has brought smiles to the faces of widows and indigent families in her political ward in Ado Ekiti by donating cash gifts and food items to them, which elicited prayers from the beneficiaries.
Oyebanji splashed the largesse on hundreds of beneficiaries, who were drawn from all the 13 wards in Ado Ekiti and converged on Ward 11 at the weekend for an empowerment programme organised by the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development in collaboration with her office. A total number of 100 petty traders received cash support of N25,000 each to be ploughed back into their businesses while another 100 beneficiaries received food packs, containing rice, beans, garri, salt and N5,000 each to purchase ingredients to cook the food items.
The empowerment programme was attended by the Deputy Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Bolaji Olagbaju; Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr. Habibat Adubiaro; Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Mrs. Tosin Aluko-Ajisafe; four council chairmen, and All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftains and members in Ward 11.
The governor’s wife further promised that apart from the empowerment being carried out on the platform of her pet project, Widows and Orphans Hope (WAOH) Project, other forms of empowerment would be done to assist the less privileged and give them opportunities to contribute to the grassroots economy.
Addressing the gathering, Oyebanji expressed delight at replicating what she has been doing across the state at her ward of origin, which she said was done in appreciation of the support she and her husband have so far received from her kinsmen in the last one year and few months of stewardship.
She explained that the Governor Oyebanji administration has been executing people-oriented programmes and policies which have made tremendous impact in the lives of the citizenry, urging for more support for the government to fulfill its vision of shared prosperity for the people of the state.
“This government has the interest of the common man at heart. Governor Oyebanji always thinks of the less privileged, and he wants the living standard of everybody to improve, so this empowerment is part of efforts to give succour to the less privileged,” Dr. Oyebanji said.
She noted that the support she and her husband had received from the residents of her ward when her husband’s governorship campaign project started was tremendous, adding that she owes it a duty to be a worthy Also, the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Olagbaju; Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Adubiaro; Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Peju Babafemi who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Adebola Olatiilu; Ado Ekiti Local Government Area APC Chairman, Mr. Mike Akinleye, and Ado North LCDA Chairperson, Mrs. Tokunbo Gbadamosi, (who spoke on behalf of the council chairmen), commended the first lady for her gesture and rallied support for her husband’s administration.
