THE INTERNALLY GENERATED REVENUE, IGR, OF EKITI STATE GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN JERKED UP BY SOME 500 PER CENT, AS THE STATE NOW REALISES ABOUT N600 MILLION MONTHLY

By DAYO JOHNSON
AKURE-Ondo State Government has paid N200 million as counterpart fund to support small and medium-scale enterprises, the Commissioner for Employment and Productivity, Mr. Taye Akinyele, said in Akure.

Akinyele said  the payment was in fulfilment of a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, signed between the state government and the National Economic Reconstruction Funds, NERFUND, to raise N1 billion for such businesses.

The commissioner said at a news conference to mark Artisan Day 2011 in the state that NERFUND had also released N500 million as part of its counterpart contribution to the project.

Meantime, the Agbekoya Farmers Association is set to partner with the Ondo State Government to establish three farm settlements across the state.

Over 2000 hectares of land would according to it, be used for the cultivation of cassava, rice, oil palm, maize 1.2 birds and 29 million tons of fish in the next planting season.

Speaking at the inauguration of the state Executive of the Association, its National President Chief Kamorudeen Okikiola said in Akure that at least 300-500 farmers in each community association will have farm lands of their own in the Agbekoya farm settlement to be located in the three senatorial areas of the state.

According to him the association have commenced the screening for the purpose of commercial and mechanized farming over 3,500 of their members in the state.