• Extends subsidised transport scheme by six months
• Relaxes measures on agric loans to small farmers
• Ondo governor, Aiyedatiwa, pardons 117 inmates
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, yesterday, urged residents of the state to keep hope alive as Nigeria celebrates its 64th Independence anniversary. Makinde, in his address as relayed on the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS), said that as part of decisions to mitigate the economic challenges facing the people, he had directed an immediate change in the guarantor system for the state’s agricultural credit loan for small farmers.
According to him, instead of the requirement that allowed only civil servants to guarantee farmers seeking the loan, residents who seek to access the loan can now be guaranteed by community associations, farmers and artisanal associations.
He, however, declared a six-month extension for the state’s Sustainable Action for Economic Recovery (SAfER) transport scheme, which has seen intra-city and inter-city transportation in state government-owned Omituntun buses subsidised by more than half, noting that he has also directed that a similar subsidy be introduced on trucks for crops’ transportation across the state.
These measures, the governor said, were introduced to reaffirm the government’s commitment to making decisions that would serve the best interests of the people amid the cloudy economic times in the country.
MEANWHILE, Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has granted state pardons to no fewer than 117 inmates serving various jail terms in various correctional centres in the state.
However, others on death row had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment with some also given reduced sentences. In a statement by Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ebenezer Adeniyan, the gesture of Aiyedatiwa followed recommendations from the Advisory Council on the Prerogative of Mercy, “with a commitment to rehabilitation and second chances within the justice system.”
According to the governor, the release order will take effect on October 1, 2024, in commemoration of the country’s 64th Independence celebrations. He added that the advisory council meticulously assessed each application, ensuring that its recommendations adhere to established guidelines and take into account a range of considerations.
The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, who is also the Chairman of the advisory council, Kayode Ajulo, while stressing that the move will pave the way for renewed hope and opportunities for reintegration into the society, said that the action of the governor was under Section 212 (1) (2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
