Fayemi re-launches social security for elderly citizens

Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi yesterday re-launched the social security scheme for elderly citizens in the state with a pledge to commit more resources to social investments and human capital development.

The social security scheme, which pays N5,000 stipends to indigent elderly citizens of the state was introduced in 2012 during his first term but was scrapped by the immediate past administration.

Distributing the cheques of N20,000 each to the beneficiaries Fayemi said his mission was to make Ekiti a place where the cycle of generational poverty can be broken and in which elderly citizens can live a more decent and healthy life.

The governor said though the scheme attracted both commendations and criticisms during his first regime, there were testimonies that the social safety net programme brought succour and relief to the elderly while the monthly injection of N100 million through the scheme had positive impacts on the economy of the state.

Fayemi, who lamented that the immediate past administration abandoned the scheme and returned the beneficiaries to the “unfortunate life of poverty, suffering, and neglect,” said the scheme is now being expanded in partnership with the World Bank to create a new lease of life for the people.

In a related vein, Fayemi said that he would not renege on his promise to begin the implementation of the N30,000 minimum wage from this month.

The governor, who assured Ekiti State workers that all the salary and pension arrears owed them and pensioners would be paid, urged those nursing the fear that the arrears valued at N57 billion had become a bad debt to bury such erroneous impression.

Fayemi stated this in his address at the Ekiti State House of Assembly to mark the first year of his second tenure.

The governor said: “Let me assure our workers that your salary arrears are not bad debt.

“I acknowledge your contributions to the growth of our state and as a government, we are going to ensure that we pay all that was outstanding.”

The governor, who stated that the newly-revamped Ikun Dairy Farm would produce 9,000 litres of milk daily while the social security scheme had been re-launched to give stipends to the elderly Ekiti State men and women to alleviate poverty in the system, said: “As we progress into the future, we are hopeful that we will do better in our second year because we have laid a solid foundation. We are looking forward to a future full of hope, a future without poverty and a future with progress and prosperity.”