By Adeyinka Adeniran
No fewer than 2,500 civil servants will benefit from the festive commodity advance sale ahead of the Eid-el-Kabir celebration.
The effort, according to the government is to bring succour to Muslim workers in the employ of the state government.
The commodities offered for sale include: ram, rice and groundnut oil.
The Chairman Agricultural Credit Corporation of Oyo state, Sheihk Taofeek Akeugbagold made the disclosure while speaking with newsmen at the Ikolaba, Ibadan venue of the distribution exercise to the muslim civil servants who had applied for the items.
He explained that the state government designed the programme to bring succour to civil servants in view of the economic realities in the country adding that the distribution of the ileya commodities advances will end on Wednesday June 4, 2025.
Skeikh Akeugbagold while noting that the Programme would be sustained by the Governor Seyi Makinde led government stated that the subsidized items would be deducted in three installments beginning from the month of August, 2025.
“This initiative is one of the relief packages of the Oyo State government to ensure that public servants enjoy their holiday during the festive period.
“For the past five days, we have distributed rice to 2500 people who are civil servants with Oyo State government. Today, we are on ram and tomorrow also. They are buying it at a subsidized rate and the payment will be spread over three months commencing from August, 2025 and will be deducted from their salary”, he said.
He, therefore appealed to the beneficiaries to pay promptly so as to give another set of people the opportunity to benefit from the initiative
Some of the beneficiaries who spoke with newsmen lauded the government’s gesture describing it as a wise decision.
A civil servant from the Oyo State Ministry of Education, Mr Ogundele Muideen said the gesture was a big relief for workers who may not be able to afford the high rate of rams sold by rams sellers to the public
Also, Mr Yekeen Taiwo from the Oyo State Traffic Management Authority, OYRTMA and a female civil servant from the Teaching Service Commission TESCOM, Alhaja Balkis Omilowo, appreciated the state government for the laudable initiative saying the program has made it seamless for civil servants to get rams for the Ileya festival at affordable rates.
