HEADLINE | Posted: Friday, January 31, 2020

Ekiti plans to diversify from federal allocation to zero-oil plan


• Projects N22 billion IGR to fund 2020 budget

• Fayemi appoints Akwa Ibom indigene as executive secretary

The Ekiti State government has said that it will begin work on zero-oil plan-non oil export agenda of its economy through agriculture and entrepreneurship skills.

This, according to it, will allow the state diversify from dwindling federal allocations.

The government has also projected N22.2 billion Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR) to fund the 2020 budget of the state.

The state Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Mr. Femi Ajayi, who spoke in Ado-Ekiti yesterday during the presentation of 2020 budget analysis, said that to prevent a recurrence of flooding that ravaged a section of Ekiti State in 2019, the government had earmarked N16.7 billion to combat erosion problems across the state in 2020.

According to him, government is to spend a staggering N495 million to boost electricity supply that would in turn improve the small and medium scale enterprises in the state.

The commissioner said that the N124 billion 2020 budget estimate would focus largely on how to make Ekiti State an agricultural, industrial and knowledge base of the Nigerian economy through the completion of ongoing projects and commencement of other legacy projects.

Meanwhile, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State has approved the appointment of Akaninyene Ekanem Akpan, an indigene Akwa Ibom State, as Executive Secretary in the state civil service.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Yinka Oyebode, said the appointment was in line with the government policy of rewarding hard-work, diligence and excellence,

Akpan joined the state civil service as a junior counsel in the Ministry of Justice immediately after his national youth service.

He rose through the ranks to become a director (in charge of Legal Drafting and Corporate Law Unit) in the ministry.

Akpan has 25 years post-Call-to-Bar experience. His appointment as executive secretary takes effect from February 1, 2020.

NEWS SECTIONS