Ekiti resuscitates Multiple Birth Trust Fund

The Multiple Birth Trust Fund disbursement has been restored in Ekiti State after a four-year break, as the wife of Ekiti Governor, Mrs Bisi Fayemi, made donations to 104 families.

The Special Assistant on Media to Mrs Fayemi, Funmi Ajala, made this known in a statement in Ado Ekiti on Monday.

She called for a legislation to back Multiple Birth Trust Fund in the state so that the scheme could be institutionalised.

The governor’s wife gave the first tranche of cash gifts, baby foods and other support products and expressed joy that the Trust Fund was back.

The Multiple Birth Trust Fund, between 2010 and 2014, supported at least 740 families.

She congratulated parents that gathered at the ceremony organised by the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development in collaboration with her office.

“I say congratulations to you all for these blessings from God Almighty. It is my fervent hope that these babies that you carry are going to be sources of joy and happiness to you all the days of your life.

“May you never mourn over them. May you never grieve over them and may you live to reap the fruits of your labour,’’ she said.

Fayemi gave a little background about the Multiple Birth Trust Fund.

“The Multiple Birth Trust Fund was initiated in 2010 just after the inauguration of Dr Kayode Fayemi.

“Throughout his first tenure, the Fund assisted families in Ekiti State who were blessed by God with multiple births but due to their circumstances were finding it difficult to cope.

“We were receiving many reports of mothers giving birth to twins and triplets in the hospitals and the fathers running away because they were scared of how they were going to settle the bills of their obligations,’’ the governor’s wife said.

“While some of these families received cash and products support from the administration, investments were also made on behalf of some of the families who had triplets,’’ Mrs Fayemi said.

According to her, the investments were created to support the children through school on a long-term basis.

Fayemi expressed her sadness over the discontinuation of the initiative during the post-Kayode Fayemi administration, saying the scheme might be institutionalised soon to give it a legal backing.

“I was deeply sad to note that this initiative did not continue in the post-Kayode Fayemi’s administration.

“It is, therefore, my pleasure that it has commenced now as part of the Social Investment Programmes of the government

`However, I am also using this opportunity to alert the public that we are going to be working on ways to ensure that this programme is institutionalised, so that it is not done at the discretion of incoming administrations but done as an obligation to Ekiti people

“Therefore we are going to be seeking legislation to back the Multiple Birth Trust Fund,’’ she said. –

-NAN