Ekiti Govt’ll partner FG on Youth friendly policies, Commissioner tells Youth Minister

Precious Oham

…as Ekiti govt restores power supply to towns after 15 years blackout

The Ekiti State Commissioner for Youth Development, Hon. Gold Adesola Adedayo, has pledged that the state government under the leadership of Governor Biodun Oyebanji will partner the new Ministers to facilitate robust relationship that would ultimately benefit Ekiti youth in every federal government youth policies.

Adedayo, said this in a statement on Monday, congratulating the Ministers on their appointments and subsequent swearing-in into their coveted positions by President Bola Tinubu.

He applauded President Tinubu for appointing credible and dependable Nigerians to superintend over the affairs of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development in the country.

Adedayo said President Tinubu appointment of Jamila Ibrahim Bio as Minister of Youth Development and Ayodele Olawande as Minister of State for Youth Development, has bolstered youth’s hope in the current administration and create the impression that the All Progressives Congress-led government places high premium on the progress of the youth population.

Meanwhile, Governor Oyebanji has said his government would not tolerate the idea of towns being left in perpetual power outage for a period of 15 years, describing this as a potential danger that can cripple businesses and shore up the poverty level in the state.

Oyebanji spoke on Tuesday in Ikogosi Ekiti, while commissioning the extension of the 132/133KVA power substation from Omisanjana in Ado Ekiti to reconnect the town back to the national grid after years of power outage.

The Governor said the 33KV electrification project , which covers 19km radius and stretched from 132 KV TCN Sub-Station at Omisanjana to connect Erijiyan and Ikogosi-Ekiti needed protection to spur business activities along that axis.

“I wish to urge our people to see all public infrastructures within their communities as their property and to jealously guard and protect them from vandalisation. They must also be prepared to pay for electricity usage”, Oyebanji pleaded.

Oyebanji, who described electricity supply as an impetus and a major boost to the growth of SMEs, said this unflagging view accounted for why the government places high premium on reconnection of towns experiencing lingering power outage across the state.

He lamented that a town housing one the state’s business concern was without power supply for years, saying that connecting the town back to the national grid would boost the water bottling company as well as the tourism potentials of the area.

Recall that several communities erupted in wild jubilation last week during the test- running of the electricity project, ahead of Tuesday’s commissioning.

Aside towns in Ekiti West Local Government, several towns in Ayekire and Ekiti East local government areas of the state are also beneficiaries of the electricity project of the Oyebanji government.