… Roll out welfare programmes for youth, women

… Takuro reels out revenue drive, FIRS partnership

 

The Ondo State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Amidu Takuro, has disclosed that the 18 local councils of the state have commenced a welfare and development initiative, including monthly stipends for at least 5,400 elderly residents across the state.

Takuro, who stated this while reeling off the achievements and ongoing programmes of local governments under the present administration in the state, said each council had identified a minimum of 300 elderly persons aged 70 years and above who are being supported with N20,000 monthly.

According to the commissioner, the initiative represented one of the most extensive local government-led social welfare interventions in the state’s recent history.

He also revealed that the councils had embarked on youth and women empowerment programmes designed to reduce poverty and create economic opportunities for residents.

According to Takuro, the youth empowerment scheme is being implemented monthly, with local governments identifying young people who could make productive use of the financial assistance provided to them.

Speaking further, the commissioner disclosed that women were being specifically targeted under the empowerment initiatives due to what he described as their critical role in supporting families and communities.

He said the programmes were designed to enable residents to become economically productive and financially independent.

Takuro also revealed that local governments were strengthening support for farmers, with some councils already providing agricultural inputs such as cocoa seedlings, palm seedlings, and fertilisers to farmers. He explained that the state was working towards making the agricultural support programme uniform across the 18 councils through a coordinated system.

“They are providing a stipend to at least a minimum of 300 aged people between 70 years and above in their respective local governments. They are paying them a minimum of N20,000 monthly, and they are planning to even increase that number,” Takuro stated.

The commissioner further disclosed that the councils had intensified efforts to tackle flooding through the clearing and channelisation of waterways and drainage systems, stressing that the interventions were being undertaken proactively rather than waiting for disasters to occur, with projects continuing throughout the dry season.

“We are trying to bring ourselves together in a way that we agree that every local government, how many fertilisers are you providing for the farmer? How many of these, how many of that are you providing for the farmer?” he explained.

Takuro also revealed that local governments were recording improvements in internally generated revenue following training programmes designed to expose officials to better ways of generating revenue.

The commissioner disclosed that the state government was planning to establish a committee involving the state, local governments, and the Federal Inland Revenue Service to resolve areas of overlapping responsibilities and ensure compliance with the new tax regime, adding that the committee would provide a platform for addressing the challenges and creating a transparent tax administration system.