Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has assured citizens that his administration is dedicating all resources to improving their lives. He emphasized his commitment to alleviating poverty through an agricultural revolution aimed at addressing food shortages in the state.
Governor Oyebanji made these remarks while launching the fifth phase of palliative distribution to the state’s 177 wards and various stakeholders to mitigate the hardships caused by the current economic situation. During the event at the Osuntokun Pavilion of the Government House, Ado Ekiti, more than 20,000 bags of rice and 10,000 bags of maize were distributed to groups, associations, and communities.
The Governor announced that this food distribution was a collaborative effort with the Federal Government, and he reaffirmed his administration’s support for local farmers through agricultural extension programs and the provision of farm inputs and equipment to boost agricultural production and enhance food security in the state.
“What we are doing now is a temporary measure,” Oyebanji said. “We are doing this in conjunction with the Federal Government, which gave us some bags while we added more to make up 20,000 bags. I don’t want to create the impression that this is my show; Mr. President is also involved, and we express our appreciation to him. I am not happy that we are doing this for the fifth time. By next year, our plan is to produce sufficient food for Ekiti markets, which we believe will bring down the prices of food items.”
He called on youths and other residents to take an interest in agriculture, revealing that his government has prepared 2,000 hectares of land for interested Ekiti farmers, along with farm inputs, fertilizer, and extension services. The government will also ensure the purchase of their farm outputs.
“I must commend the Commissioner for Agriculture for his efforts. The impact will be felt in the next two years. By Saturday, we will be in Oke Ako, partnering with YSJ to revolutionize the agriculture sector. We have cultivated 2,000 hectares of land and formed agro-rangers to protect the farms from cattle invasion. Only with food security can we combat food deflation; no amount of food distribution can bring down food prices except we produce our own food. I appeal to everyone interested in agriculture: there is money to be made now. We will cultivate the land, provide fertilizer, herbicides, and inputs, and purchase your outputs.”
Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, and Chairman of the Palliatives Distribution Committee, Ebenezer Boluwade, thanked the Governor for his efforts to ensure every household in the state has food. Boluwade explained that 50 bags of rice would be distributed to each of the 177 wards, and 10,000 bags of maize would be given to livestock farmers to boost production.
Acknowledging the economic hardships, Boluwade emphasized that the Governor is working on both short-term relief measures, such as palliative distribution, and long-term agricultural development measures. He assured that Ekiti State would achieve food sufficiency within the next year.
