Ekiti to procure N550m drones to fight kidnapping, banditry

Ekiti State Government has said that it will procure drones and unmanned aerial vehicles as part of its efforts to boost surveillance, expose criminal hideouts and combat insecurity in the state.

Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Mr. Femi Ajayi, disclosed this at the weekend during the breakdown of the 2021 appropriation law with a budgetary provision of N109.666 billion.

He stated the government projected N550 million to purchase the drones as part of plans to tackle rising cases of armed robbery, banditry and kidnapping in the state and ensure that lives and properties of residents are safe.

Ajayi added that N1.4 billion has been set aside to fund the Ekiti State Security Network codenamed ‘Amotekun Corps’ in 2021 fiscal year for the security outfit to live up to its responsibility.

In the same year, the state government earmarked a total of N8 billion to social services, covering education, health, gender empowerment, social security and other pivotal subsectors critical to the growth of the state’s economy.

According to Ajayi, the 2021 budget size which was a 17 per cent increase on the 2020 revised budget size of N91 billion has a recurrent expenditure of N58 billion and capital expenditure of N51.6 billion, a 53:47 recurrent to capital expenditure ratio.

According to the statistics released by the Commissioner, infrastructure and industrial development under capital expenditures got the highest allocation of N19.6 billion, which constitute 45 per cent of the total capital expenditure. It was followed by governance and Social Investments with 22 per cent and 20 percent respectively.

He also explained that the government will focus on the completion of critical capital projects in the state, adding that about N18 billion was earmarked for personnel cost, including payment of consequential salary adjustments arising from the N30,000new minimum wage.