The chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti state, Hon. Adesola Gold Adedayo has urged state governors in the country to make anti-poverty policies to better the lives of the citizens.
He noted that the administration of Governor Kayode Fayemi policies of free education and regular payment of workers’ salaries and pensions have changed the Ekiti’s economic landscape and reduced sufferings among the masses.
Speaking with newsmen in Osun-Ekiti on Monday, in Moba Local Government area of the state , Adedayo said Fayemi has been able to change the wrong perception that Ekiti is not economically viable within one year he assumed office.
Adedayo, who is also an ex-Executive Assistant, office of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Osun State, stated that with Fayemi’s initiative and passion for education, ” it is now a criminal offence in Ekiti, with stringent punitive measures carrying many years of jail term, for parents to keep children of school age out of schools.”
“Under Ayodele Fayose led government , students of public and private primary and secondary schools were paying taxes under the guise of development levy which deprived many students from poor backgrounds of education .
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“The economy of Ekiti was majorly built on the civil service structure. Before Governor Fayemi came on board, the PDP government was owing between five and eight months of workers’ salaries. That of pensioners was nine months which increased the poverty level and destroyed our economy.
“With regular payment of salaries, the economy has changed for better. Investors have now seen Ekiti as a veritable avenue to invest their monies as evidenced in the return of Guarantee Trust Bank(GTB) and other global partners like British Department for International Affairs(DFID) to Ekiti.
“Recent statistics showed that Ekiti has 100 Percent compliant with enrollment of children of school age, thereby making the state to rank first in Nigeria. This has further reignited our pride as a Fountain of knowledge and gave us a good future as a state.”
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