…as Government takes steps to establish Employment Trust Fund

The Ekiti State Government in collaboration with National Automotive Design and Development Council is currently training 32 artisans in the state on the conversion of petrol vehicles to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) powered vehicles at the Automotive Training Centre, Ilawe Road, Ado-Ekiti.

The State Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Otunba Kayode Fasae who made this known in Ado-Ekiti while featuring on Ekiti Loni /Ekiti State Today, a live audience participation programme on radio said the initiative is part of concerted efforts of the Oyebanji Administration to ensure that youths in the State are equipped with prerequisite skills and exposed to cutting edge technology that will make them globally competitive.

Otunba Fasae disclosed that each of the trainees would be empowered with specialized empowerment equipment worth about N2 million each to enable them set up petrol CNG conversion workshops across the State.

He disclosed that the Oyebanji Administration was already working out modalities to sustain the training programme to enable more youths acquire the conversion technology.

The Commissioner also disclosed that in line with the Federal Government’s Sustainable Energy Alternatives and a Clean Energy Ecosystem, the State Government in partnership with Sterling Bank Plc, Qoray Teak EV, and Tricycle Owners Riders Association of Nigeria, (TORAN) Ekiti State Chapter is exploring the possibility of introducing electric tricycles for commercial operations in the State.

According to him, the electric tricycles which will cover 120 kilometers at full charge are billed to arrive at the State in October for test operations.

Also speaking on the proposed Guided Agency Banking Programme, a financial inclusion initiative of the present administration in collaboration with some banks, Fasae revealed that the programme is designed to amongst other things address the problem of lack of banking services in the rural areas of the State through the use of accredited licenced agents.

He stressed that the Guided Agency Banking Programme is in tandem with current efforts of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) to ensure that all the 774 Local Government Areas of Nigeria have access to financial services.

Fasae disclosed that the State has been delineated into 132 units as part of efforts to ensure the success of the Programme.

The Commissioner further disclosed that as part of efforts to provide financial support to residents of Ekiti State, for job, wealth creation and to tackle unemployment, the Oyebanji Administration is embarking on the establishment of the Ekiti State Employment Trust Fund (ETF) under which N1billion would be set aside on a yearly basis for 5 years stressing that a start-up fund of N250million would be disbursed to support eligible Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the State when the Fund becomes operational.

According to him, an Executive bill that will give legal backing to the fund was already in the works.

Fasae disclosed that the partnership of the State Government with Wema Bank Plc under which 100,000 artisans, youths, active citizens, and people living with disabilities in the State would be trained and empowered in some special trades and vocations was on course adding that the training and empowerment programme which would commence in November, 2024 would involve Micro, Small and Medium Scale Entrepreneurs, he called on people to register online through the Ekiti State empowerment program for MSMEs.

Speaking on the Ekiti Covid-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus ( EKITI- CARES) under the Labour Intensive Public Works (LIPW), he stated that 2,000 people in the State are currently engaged under the Programme

The Commissioner explained that the LIPW beneficiaries are being paid a monthly stipend of N12,500 each for the social services rendered for 4 hours a day in 20 days of the month for a period of one year.