The Ekiti State House of Assembly has assured the people of the state of its readiness to continue to support the state government despite the unavailability of funds for smooth running of government business, particularly at the legislature.
The Speaker of the House, Pastor Kola Oluwawole, said the crop of legislators in the current House in Ekiti State had vowed that lifting the state out of its current state of lack was more paramount to it than any financial benefit, adding that they were confident that things would improve with time.
According to a statement by his Special Assistant (Media), Stephen Gbadamosi, on Wednesday, Oluwawole gave the assurance against the backdrop of the disclosure by the state Governor, Peter Ayodele Fayose, that the immediate past House of Assembly in the state was having N51.5 million monthly as running grant, as against N30 million being collected by the current House.
Governor Fayose had made the disclosure on Tuesday while addressing journalists shortly after inspecting projects embarked upon by his administration as part of the activities lined up to mark its one year in office.
Reacting to the development, Oluwawole said: “We know the mindset of the current executive in the state. It is development, development and development, and we have vowed to work with it, no matter the condition. It is not as if it is convenient for us to operate on this kind of lean purse. But no sacrifice is too small for Ekiti State.
“The present crop of legislators in the Ekiti State House of Assembly is not motivated by the fund available, but the need to lift the state out of its current state of penury. We will continue to work with Governor Ayodele Fayose until we improve the financial standing of our people.
“We are aware that our colleagues in the past Assembly had a rosy financial environment to operate. It does not matter that we don’t. We share in the philosophy of the governor that God sends His anointed to lift a people at the most difficult time of existence. So, our pledge to Ekiti people is that whatever we have to operate with, we will represent their interests to the letter.
“We have not allowed the paucity of funds to affect our operations and performance, and we will not. Members of the House are of the firm belief that with time, things will improve. We are confident of the governor’s ingenuity in the management of the economy of Ekiti State.”
Oluwawole added that the running grant of the House, as paltry as it was, had been utilised judiciously since the current Assembly took over the mantle of legislative leadership.
He said even when the state’s finances improve, the management would not deviate from the path of accountability and probity it was following.
