BY LAW IBITOYE
Executive Chairman of Ado Central Local Council Development Area, Ado Ekiti, Hon Toyin Augustine Ojo has begun a programme to cater for the needs of the vulnerable elderly in the LCDA.
The Chairman, on Thursday doled out thousands of naira to ninety elderly persons on a monthly basis for their upkeep. He advised the beneficiaries drawn from Wards 12, 8, 5 and 4 not to use the monthly stipends to pay Lapo or other thrifts .
According to the chairman, “One of the programmes of the Governor of Ekiti state is human capital development, it’s taken from that to empower the elderly. The programme will run for three years. They should not use the money to pay Lapo, they should use it to feed themselves, that’s a little contribution from my LCDA ”
Explaining the selection of the beneficiaries, the LCDA boss said
“We rolled out forms for them and the lucky ones input their data for thorough screening; we make sure the beneficiaries are the real vulnerable persons in the LCDA. In the forms if we discover you have dependants that can take care of you, you will not be picked because the Programme is meant for the vulnerable elders who have nobody to take care of them”
The Chairman said everybody would be captured in subsequent programmes. Tomorrow will be the turn of PWD while efforts are on to empower Ward Development Officers and my wife will be replicating the programmes of the wife of the Executive Governor in few weeks time for the widows and vulnerable persons.
Responding, on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mr Lasisi Onipede Jimoh, the chief priest of Oke-Ewi, Ado Ekiti, appreciated the LCDA chairman for the kind gesture, saying the monthly stipends will go along way to ameliorate their sufferings during the economic palaver.
In a similar vein, Chief Mrs Mary Apempe, praised the chairman for extending the monthly stipends to the aged, considering their inability to run up and down to fend for themselves. She prayed God to elevate the chairman to higher heights.