N1.2 Billion Financing On Education, Health And Agriculture In Ekitit – Buhari Aide

Projects focusing on education, agriculture and health amounting to N1.2 billion have been commissioned in Ekiti State under the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs an official said on Thursday.

The projects which spread across the three senatorial districts were executed under a United Nations- financed initiative in partnership with the federal and state governments.

Speaking on the development on Thursday, Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, also said a total of N18 million was expended to fortify various agro-based cooperatives in the state to boost food production and reduce hunger.

She said Ado, Ikere, Irepodun/Ifelodun, Ise/Orun, Ikole and Ilejemeje local governments benefited from the scheme.

She appealed to rural residents to take ownership of the projects to prevent vandalism and under utilisation of the facilities.

According to Mrs. Adefulire, President Muhammadu Buhari was not partisan in the execution of the projects, as the Federal Government was concerned about the synergy with states to spread the dividends of democracy.

She commended the state governor, Ayodele Fayose, for collaborating with the Federal Government to make the programme a success in Ekiti State.

The Chairman of Ekiti State Implementation Committee, Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, who is also the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Dipo Anisulowo, urged the local governments to partner with private organizations to be able to maintain the facilities.

“Recently, Ekiti was adjudged to be leading in open defecation in Southwest, and that was very bad and didn’t speak well of us. That was why we built some toilets in strategic locations across the state to arrest open defecation,” he said