Ekiti To Collaborate With Development Parthners To Fight Poverty -Fayose

The Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose has said that his administration would continue to partner with the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) and other relevant development partners in the task of making the state better.

Speaking in Ado Ekiti while declaring open the 2014 2-day Annual High Level meeting of the network of State Secretariats for Aid Coordination, Governor Fayose who spoke through the State Head of Service, Mr. Olubunmi Famosaya said that the state has embraced the structure of the one-stop-shop aid coordination, adding that his administration would welcome all sincere efforts to develop the state.

Fayose stressed that the concept of the stomach infrastructure in the state encompassed planning and ability to make the people comfortable, pay salaries as and when due, pay all deductions without negatively affecting the welfare of the people as well as seeing to the general wellbeing of the populace emphasizing that eradicating poverty in the society would not be negotiated.

Emphasizing that he would not compromise on issues concerning the interests of the people, he lauded the seriousness exhibited by the development partners at tackling the challenges militating against developing the states as opposed to tokenism and fire brigade approach to development, saying that that the presence of representatives of eight other states including Sokoto, Gombe, Niger, Kogi, Rivers, Delta, Anambra and Ondo as well as the National Planning Commission and UNDP at the meeting was commendable.

The Governor expressed hope that the participants would be painstaking in their deliberations so the outcome of the meeting and their recommendations would increase the benefits of development partners assistance at the state level with reduced or no bottleneck.

In his remarks, the representative of UNDP, Dr. Robert Asogua explained that the focus of the meeting was to ensure that whatever aids received by states are properly channeled to achieve the desired goals.

According to him, the meeting was design as a forum for benefiting states to exchange ideas and learn from one another how to coordinate and handle challenges from aids received from development partners

Also speaking, the Director, International Corporation of the National Planning Commission, Mr. Sojo Faniran highlighted the objectives of the meeting to include taking stock of achievements so far in aid coordination and management, sharing peer reviews and experience to identify constraints militating against implementation with a view to proffering useful suggestions that improve the system.

Mr. Faniran described the forum as a critical step in strengthening the nation’s nascent democracy through reinforcing the nation’s institutions, tackling corruption and addressing the challenges of poverty, underdevelopment, diseases and insecurity stressing that making aids coordination at all levels stronger would assist real growth and development in the country.

Ekiti State Government Press Release