By Richard Ayinde, Osogbo.
The Senior Special Adviser to Governor Adegboyega Oyetola on Social Intervention Programmes Hon. Lukman Abimbola Bello said there was the need for residents of Osun State to always support and pray for the Governor because of his laudable achievements which according to him cut across every Sector in the state.
Hon Lukman hailed the government’s social intervention programmes which he said had impacted greatly on the lives of the people.
He acknowledged the government for taking governance to the grassroots, particularly to the doorsteps of the masses through its numerous people-oriented programmes.
Hon Lukman stated this while fielding questions from journalists in his office, in Osogbo, on the achievements of the government on social intervention programmes.
Pointing at the various achievement of the government of the day in Osun under the administration of Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, Hon Lukman lauded the infrastructural projects such as road constructions, provision of food support, and good and qualitative healthcare delivery among others.
Hon. Lukman who is also the Osun State Focal Person on National Social Investment Programme commended President Muhammad Buhari who he described as president of the less privileged said God sent him for the people of the country.
He said, like President Muhammad Buhari, the feeding of the vulnerable citizens on a monthly basis through the State Food Support Scheme by the Governor Oyetola led administration was a clear indication that the government had the masses’ welfare at heart.
According to him, the programme would go a long way to register the presence of the government in the hearts of the ordinary people.
He added that the governor through the various Intervention programmes had brought many citizens out of the economic impediment positing that no any family had not in one way or the other benefited from the intervention programmes of the government .
He noted that the selection of the beneficiaries of those Intervention programmes was devoid of politics saying Governor Oyetola’s administration was for all the citizenry regardless of their political parties.
He urged the people and solicited for their continued support of Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, he also urged them to make the support a reality by returning Governor Oyetola as Osun Governor with their votes in July 2022.
He said: “The state government through the agency has embarked on many activities most importantly the issue of social intervention. Things that has to do with ameliorating the sufferings of the downtrodden, the vulnerable , the less privileged.
“The social intervention programme covers a lot of things, virtually all the ministries and agencies,we have Intervention there. Let’s start from Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme otherwise known as OYES, O’Amblance free service, these among othera are part of our social intervention programme.
“We have Intervention in Agric, in which recently, we launched under the Ministry Of Commerce, Cooperatives and Industry, several loans were given on several programmes. There was a time loans were given to interested artisans and small scale business industry in Osun, some were given loan to the tun of 500,000 thousand naira, some one million, some 1.5 million and so one , apart from the one that was anchored by ministry of youth .
“There was a time we invited banks to open bank account for Nigerian youth and all that, they were given#500,000 loans, #250,000 loan to empower them.
Aside that, there was another social Investment scheme, where each of the beneficiaries was given a sum of 30,000 naira. 15, 560 beneficiaries across Communities in the state
“We have spent over 4billion naira so far so good on the programmes here in Osun. And the most interesting part of it is that, these programmes are devoid of Politics or Religious sentiment. You don’t apply for Npower because you are a member of our Party. We don’t select you because you show your membership card. We don’t pay you your 30,000 naira monthly because you have been attending our party activities, we are being fair and just to the people of the state
“The National Home Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) is a government led school feeding programme that aims to improve the health and educational outcomes of public primary school pupils. one hundred thousand school pupils are been fed daily basis here in Osun which cut across all the local government area of the state. Primary 1-3 .
“It’s not only the pupils that are enjoying this , We have the school vendors, over two thousands of them, they are earning their livelihood there. Again, we have the farmers those that supply eggs , those that supply chicken, those that supply beef , they are all Indigenes of the state.” He said.
“Another program is Government Enterprises and Empowerment Program GEEP , it has three core units as well,trader money, Market money and Farmer money. We have just concluded the first phase of Registration where we were given#10,000 for market women , #50,000 to some artisans. Now we have come to GEEP 2. After the capturing, hopefully before the end of this year, we are going to disburse cash for beneficiaries. About 70, 000 Osun Indigenes applied for this GEEP programme.
“In another intervention, about 4,000 rural women were given #20,000 grant , it was coordinated by my office and it was devoid of politics. There was 2020 Intervention, we are still waiting for 2021 Intervention.
“Then, again, presently, we are executing this urban intervention through RRR , it’s#5000 for each of the indigent people for six months.
“After the COVID-19 problem, part of COVID19 Intervention some artisans groups , hoteliers and the rest were asked to register , if you have certain number of workers , you register them and they were being paid #30,000 naira for six months, People benefited from this , we did it for artisans too.
There is another that’s coming , we have given them the forms very soon they be recieving their payment.
We are packaging something for widow Another big Intervention, Osun Food Support Programme for widows, market men and women, Religious Leaders.
“There is virtually no family that has not been benefited from these programmes. It’s just that the level may be differ.”
He however enjoined the beneficiaries of those Interventions to make judicious used of the benefits, just as he urged them to be appreciative and supportive.
“This governemnt has done well in terms of Intervention and People should be appreciative, they should be supportive.
I can say it categorically that the present governemnt is the Government of the less privileged. President Buhari is the president of the less privileged. God has sent him to the vulnerable in this country
“Just as the governor of the state. Mr Governor is not a noise maker and he has done a lot to ameliorate the sufferings of the people of the people. If he has power , he would go to individual and start giving them money.
“So, if governemnt has been doing this without recourse to party, People should be full of praise to that Government, and they should be ready to Support the Government because there was continuity in governance in Osun that was why OYES has not stopped, that’s why school feeding has not stopped, that’s why there are some of the road Intervention because our Intervention cut across all the phases of the economy
“People should be mindful of whoever they want to follow.
“This governor has been a very cool, calm and collected Personality. He is not wasteful, he is rich, Mr Governor is not somebody who came to steal money, he has never steal money and he would not because is contented. Look at him, easy going, a listening Governor”.
