THE Oyo State government has set up a 500 million naira compensation fund for the victims of police brutality in the state.
This was revealed yesterday at a stakeholder meeting by Seyi Makinde, the state governor in Ibadan, the capital city.
“Let me also state that we have set up an initial Five Hundred Million Naira Compensation Fund for victims of injustice,” he said.
Makinde encouraged residents of the state that have suffered any form of injustice from the police in the past and in the course of #ENDSARS protest to seize all available and legitimate platforms provided by the state to lodge their complaints.
“I encourage everyone who has suffered any form of injustice in the past or as a result of the End SARS protests to please take advantage of the platforms we have provided to log their cases. We have an email service and a direct reporting portal on the Oyo State Government website. A judicial panel for Oyo State will be inaugurated in the next one week to look into cases of injustice.”
In addition, the state has equally set up a 500 Million Naira MSME fund to be disbursed to youths with entrepreneurial skills in order to cushion the economic consequences occasioned by the outbreak of COVID-19 in the state.
“We know that the protests have been a result of simmering anger among the youths. We are aware of the economic situation, especially the reduced income of many due to the COVID-19 pandemic and also the general unemployment situation in the country. Let me reassure you that we will continue to prioritise actions that will positively impact the youths.
“For this reason, we have taken the following immediate actions to address some of the issues raised by the youths during the protest:
“I have directed that a 500 Million Naira MSME fund be set up. This fund will be disbursed to youths who have bright entrepreneurial ideas that will provide further employment and improve the economic landscape in Oyo State.”
The governor has also directed the employment of 5,000 young persons across all government agency schemes over the next few months. The criteria for employment and the dates for assessment will be announced by the agency authorities.
“Going forward, starting from 2021, there will be provisions made for the Direct Labour Agency in the budget. This will ensure more employment opportunities for residents who have requisite skills when projects are awarded,” he added.
While stating that his administration will continue to protect the rights of citizens of the state, the governor assured the people that his administration will continue to live up to its campaign promises.
“Let me again reassure the good people of Oyo State that our administration will continue to live up to our mantra of putting the people first. We will continue to protect the rights of every resident of Oyo State as contained in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended. Also, let me state that we have not changed our open-door policy. We are always happy to dialogue with everyone for the economic good and development of our beloved state,” he said.
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