The Chairman of Odi-Olowo Ojuwoye LCDA, Hon Rasaq Ajala on Thursday announced a whopping N250 million interest-free loan as palliative among others to petty traders and residents of the council area to effectively cushion the economic effects of subsidy removal.
Ajala made the disclosure at an engagement on the council premises tagged “Connecting and Impacting our People” which had in attendance religious leaders, traders, artisans, organizations, and representatives of professional bodies.
At the event Ajala appealed to the gathering to remain patient with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu noting that subsidy removal is “a temporary pain to achieve success,” as he went on to assure that “very soon the light will illuminate the dark tunnel.”
He stated further that the engagement was aimed at apprising the residents of his proposed measures to alleviate the hardship occasioned by the recent removal of oil subsidy by the federal government.
His words; “Let me do a little bit of reflection here, the removal of oil subsidy is not a curse. Neither was it meant to inflict suffering on the people, rather it was implemented to usher in an era of growth and development for the country. An era of equitable distribution of resources devoid of the hitherto situation where only a few wealthy and powerful individuals rule over our wealth.
“In doing this and to achieve our aim of even development and greatness, we must endure pains but I want to assure you that the pains we are going through now will be temporary. Very soon, and I mean very soon, we will start to reap bountiful rewards of this seemingly hard but necessary policy.
“Indeed, it’s a tough period, but a tough period does not last, only tough people do and I believe we will all smile at the end of the day, for us, the light at the end of this seemingly dark tunnel, will soon shine through.
“As a government, we will not fold our arms and watch while our people continue to lament. We must complement the efforts of government at the state and federal levels to bring succor to our people. In essence, we have thus put in place various measures to cushion the effect of this trying period.
“We have thus, with your approval, through your elected councilors who will sit on the supplementary appropriation bill we are sending to the legislative arm and give us the power of expenditure decided to put in place the following measures as our palliative measures.
“(1) Quarterly Trade Assistance Programme (TAP) to support Petty Traders. We will be giving out a minimum of N10 million every quarter to qualified traders. This money will be disbursed among selected Traders quarterly and is meant to support their trading activities. For this, we are targeting a minimum of 250 beneficiaries every quarter.
“(2) N250 million Interest-free loan: between now and the life of this administration, we are disbursing N250 million as a loan to small-scale business owners. We intend to commence this economy-stimulating program with a disbursement of N100 million on or before the end of this year for those whose business proposals meet the criteria of the selection committee. The business must demonstrate its bankability and ability to engage or employ at least one person apart from the owner who must be a resident of Odiolowo/ Ojuwoye Local Council. This among several other criteria are measures instituted to ensure the sustainability of the program, reduce the number of unemployed youth and enhance economic activities in our council area.
“(3) Establishment of Odiolowo/Ojuwoye Traffic Maintenance and Environmental Corps ( OTMEC): We are establishing this not only to provide employment for youth but also to complement the efforts of the state Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and the Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC).
“(4) Employment of Teaching and Non-teaching Staff: It’s an open secret that some of our public primary schools lack an adequate number of teachers and we have to agree that the state government alone cannot provide all the needs of the public schools.
“As a grassroots administration, we have to complement the efforts of the state government where necessary and urgent. It is because of this that we have decided to employ teaching and non-teaching staff on ad-hoc arrangements to complement those already working in our various public schools.
“We are not doing this alone. We are going to collaborate with all stakeholders in the education industry: the parent’s forum, school-based management committees, and other relevant stakeholders. The idea is not only to provide employment but also to provide and improve the basic education needs of our pupils.
“(5) Employment of ad-hoc Medical Personnel: To support and complement those already on the ground, we have concluded arrangements to employ medical personnel who will work on ad-hoc arrangements. This initiative is aimed at providing a functioning Health Care System in our Council Area with the upgrading of Kajola and Ajisegiri Primary Health Centers to 24Hrs facilities.
“(7) Introduction of Monthly Subsidized Food Items: We are also introducing monthly subsidized food items for residents.
“By this, we intend to purchase essential edible food items in bulk and sell to residents at a subsidized rate. Apart from this, we will be providing periodic free food to the aged and the needy.
“(8) Introduction of Subsidized Transport Fare for Selected Routes: We are already discussing with some private transport companies to reach an agreement on subsidized transport fares for some selected routes in Odiolowo/Ojuwoye LCDA.
The council honcho went on to appeal for the cooperation and support of the residents to achieve the intended purpose of the palliatives. His words: “We cannot do it alone, we need your support, that is why I invited you here today to intimate our plans to you. We need your support, we need your cooperation and we need your prayers for our government at all levels to succeed.
“As I said earlier on, these programs cannot come to fruition without the concurrence of the Councillors. Therefore I have to thank our Councillors immensely for your support and cooperation that have taken us this far and pray to Almighty Allah to give us the enablement to achieve greater Odiolowo/ Ojuwoye Local Council Area. To the Exco Members, Management and Council staff accept my ton of thanks for your perseverance, commitment, and loyalty. I appreciate you all and promise never to take you for granted.
“I do not want to bore you with a long speech. I have laid down, in clear and unambiguous language, our plans for you, I pray for your support, and prayers to give us success.
“We are confident that the light will shine through the dark tunnel very soon. Let us be patient, supportive, and prayerful.”
