Ekiti 2018: Buhari does not care if state is governed by PDP or APC – Osinbajo

Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo has told traditional rulers in Ekiti
State that President Muhammadu Buhari does not care if a state is
being governed by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, or the All
Progressives Congress, APC, in his developmental plans for the
country.

The Vice President said the President was committed to the development
of all the states of the federation irrespective of the political
party in charge of the states.

Osinbajo said this while addressing traditional rulers from Ekiti
State at the palace of the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe, and
was contained in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media
and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande

He noted that this is why Ekiti State had been benefiting from the
Federal Government's Social Investment Programme despite being a
Peoples Democratic Party state.

He cited the N-Power programme under which he said 3,339 young
graduates from Ekiti State had been employed.

The VP explained that the beneficiaries had been assisting the state
as teachers, extension workers and health workers.

Osinbajo disclosed that additional 8,600 graduates had been
pre-selected and would be engaged at the end of this month, therefore
bringing the number of beneficiaries in the state to 11,000.

He added that 10,664 beneficiaries from the state had also received
micro-credit from the Federal Government of Nigeria under the SIP.

Another 10,688 people, he said, were benefiting from the Conditional
Cash Transfers in the state by receiving a monthly benefit of N5,000.

He said, "These have been done, as I said, because the President's
view is that we must not play politics with the health and welfare and
prosperity of our people. No politicking.

"That is why despite the fact that this is not an APC state, all of
these benefits have been given to these people, the indigenes of this
state because they are Nigerians," he said.

Osinbajo further expressed the belief that if the candidate of the
APC, Kayode Fayemi, was elected, the state governor in the July 14
governorship election, the state would be better for it.

He said the country needed devoted and serious-minded people to be in
the saddle.

"I want to say that nothing comes easy; you need people who are
devoted, people who are serious-minded, dedicated to the work of
improvement and development. That is what our country needs today."