Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has advocated for an inclusion of children’s welfare into the management of government at all levels.
The governor said that every tier of government must endeavour to concretely cater for the needs of children, especially children of the less privileged.
Fayose gave the advocacy on Sunday during the official inauguration of the distribution of Christmas clothing to the kid beneficiaries where he personally dressed up some kids in Ekiti State.
Over 20,000 children in the state are billed to benefit from the governor’s provision of Christmas clothing for children.
The governor had, overwhelmed by the joyous way kids in the state welcomed the idea, raised the number of beneficiaries from 10,000 to 20,000.
Hundreds of parents with their children trooped to the Osuntokun pavilion of the Government House , Ado Ekiti, on Sunday to answer the governor’s call aired on the state television and radio some days earlier.
Already, over 250 tailors from Ekiti had brought their sewing machines three days earlier to the Osuntokun hall and began sewing the Christmas wears for kids from one to 10 years old.
Assorted local fabrics of Ankara, Guinea and Kampala among others had been purchased by the governor and made available to the local tailors for the exercise.
Speaking with reporters shortly before he began to personally dress up some of the kids to flag off the ceremony, Fayose said: ” As a government, we must be seen to be caring, not by mere saying it but by practice. Part of our duty is to give our kids a sense of belonging. We are bound to provide some happiness for them at a yuletide such as this.
“We are providing Christmas clothing for over 20,000 of our kids. We will raise it to 100,000 by next year as I am very sure the next governor will come from my party PDP,” Fayose said.
He urged the kids to inform their parents to support his candidate, Professor Kolapo Olusola, for the 2018 governorship poll.
Some of the kids and parents of those who benefited from the kind gesture and spoke to reporters, thanked the governor for being concerned for their needs, saying that it was the first time ever a governor would be so concerned about the children of the less privileged as to provide Christmas clothing for them.
