By Bimbo Ogunnaike
The Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has promised to pay that all the salary and pension arrears owed workers and pensioners in the state, just as he also urged those having the fear that the arrears valued at N57 billion have become a bad debt to perish the thought in their mindset.
It would be recalled that Fayemi, upon his inauguration vowed to offset the arrears before his first one year in office, which the governor regretted he could not fulfil it due to lack of of funds.
The Governor made the promise in Ado Ekiti, the state capital on Wednesday during his address at the State House of Assembly to mark the first year of his second tenure.
Fayemi, who assured the workers that all the arrears will be paid, said workers salary arrears are not bad debt.
While acknowledging the contributions of the workers to the growth of state and as a government, Fayemi said his government will pay all that were outstanding.
The governor, who also said he will not renege on his promise to begin the implementation of the N30,000 minimum wage commencing from this month, added that in his mission to deliver on his promises, that the state now enjoys strong ties with the African Development Bank(AfDB), Islamic Bank, United States of America Development for International Affairs (USAid), World Health Organisation(WHO) , British Department for International Affairs(DFID) and other federal government agencies.
According to him, all these agencies are now working assiduously with his administration to ensure massive development and turning around of decrepit facilities in the state into models.
Fayemi disclosed that the newly revamped Ikun Dairy farm will produce 9000 litres of milk daily, while the social security scheme has been relaunched to give stipends to the elderly Ekiti men and women to alleviate poverty in the system.
“As we progress into the future, we are hopeful that we will do better in our second year because we have laid a solid foundation. We are looking forward to a future full of Hope, a future without poverty and a future with progress and prosperity.
” You should expect more developmental projects next year, because the African Development Bank-funded airport, Ado Ekiti Ring road, dualisation of Ado-Akure road , 1000 kilometre rural roads across all the 16 councils and others would have been completed in our second year.
He appreciated Ekiti people for their support and solicit more working relationships with the legislative arm and the judiciary for his administration to be able to make more positively impactful strides as he proceed into the second year of his administration.
Fayemi appealed the people on the need to pay their taxes for the state to have enough funds to develop more facilities for the use of the populace.
The Speaker, Hon Funminiyi Afuye in his own address said that Fayemi’s second term was ordained by God to stop what he described as ill-tempered and oppressive administration of the immediate past government.
“From the cross-section of the opinions of the citizens of the state, and many stakeholders home and abroad, we make bold to say that you are delivering on your promises and truly walking the talk.
“No doubt, the unbelievably level of impunity, financial recklessness, and systematic dehumanisation of the psyche of our people, have made the surgical clearing of the Augean stable challenging and tasking,” Afuye said.
The speaker added that he and the entire lawmakers are together in the journey to restore the values and reigniting the dignity of Ekiti man and woman.
