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BRIEF HISTORY OF MINISTRY OF SPECIAL DUTIES
The Ministry of Special Duties was created during the first Civilian Administration in Ekiti State in 1999 to provide solid base for rapid infrastructural and social amenities development and to ensure the even distribution of social amenities across the State through appropriate monitoring.
Initially, the Ministry took off as an extra-ministerial department in the office of the Governor with a Special Adviser as the Chief Executive and a permanent Secretary as the Accounting Officer. It was however upgraded into a full-fledged Ministry in August, 2000 during Governor Adeniyi Adebayo regime with a Commissioner as the Chief Executive and Permanent Secretary as the Accounting Officer.
Presently, the Ministry has the following core operational Departments.
(i) Department of Finance and Administration
(ii) Department of Poverty Reduction
(iii) Department of Technical Service
(iv) Department of Information Technology
Also, the Ministry is in-charge of the supervision of some parastatals such as the Ekiti State Water Corporation, Ekiti State (BSES). However, recently (April 2004) the BSES had been ceded to Ministry of Information, Sports, Culture and Social Development. The Ministry is also supervising the Ekiti State Unicef Assisted Water Sanitation (WATSAN) Projects and the Ekiti State Community Based Poverty Reduction Agency (EKCPRA).
It should be noted that at the take off of the Ministry, the following parastatals were under the Ministry’s supervision before they were eventually taken away from the Ministry.
(i) Ekiti State Printing and Publishing Company
(ii) Broadcasting Service of Ekiti State
(iii) Ekiti State Bulk Purchase Venture
Duties of Departments
The functions o f the main Department in the Ministry are as follows:
1. Department of Finance and Administration
The Department, which is headed by a Director of Finance and Administration, is responsible for all administrative and financial policies for the day to day running of the Ministry. The Finance and Administration Department is equally responsible for personnel matters and coordinate the various activities of all the departments of the ministry.
2. Poverty Reduction Department
Poverty is an intolerable scourge in the life of a significant number of people in Ekiti State. In order to enable the grassroot who are mostly vulnerable to poverty have access to the basic amenities like good nutrition, clothing, shelter, energy, transport, health, education and potable water which are vital to human survival, the Poverty Reduction Department of the Ministry of Special Duties have the following roles/duties.
3. Enhancement Scheme for Artisans and unemployed Youths:- Under this scheme, certain disadvantaged groups such as Artisans, Trade/Craft-men and unemployed youths are to be provided with working tools/equipment through soft loan to improve their living conditions. These groups of people are expected to provide with credit facilities to enhance their economic empowerment.
4. Free Water Supply Scheme:- The Ekiti State Government has provided seventy-two water storage tanks within Ado-Ekiti metropolis to provide free potable water to the nooks and crannies of the State, the supervision of which falls within the purview of this department.
5. Infrastructural Development Scheme:- The department has an intervention programme which is to provide Infrastructural facilities to the rural areas. This includes the provision of bore-holes, hand dug wells, rural roads and rural electricity.
6. Youth Employment Scheme/Skill Acquisition Programme:- Under this scheme, the relevant data on the number of the unemployed youth in the State are collected and collated to facilitate their training in various skill acquisition programmes. The sustainability of the training is enhanced through the provision of micro-credit to set up small-scale business to ensure self-reliance.
6. Coordinating Activities:- The Department is responsible for the coordination of all poverty reduction initiatives in the State. Thus it is saddled with the responsibility of coordinating all poverty reduction activities of such International Agencies such as world Bank Community – Based Poverty Reduction Agency (EKCPRA). The Department for International Development (DFID), UNICEF; all the relevant State Ministries, Parastatal and Federal Agencies involved in Poverty Reduction Programmes in the State.
7. Department of Technical Services:- The Technical Services Department, is headed by a Director, the duties of the department are as follows:-
(i) Monitoring of Projects within the Ministry and those of parastatals under the Ministry.
(ii) Provision of Telephone services
(iii) Appraisal of Technical proposals
(iv) Preparation of briefs on Technical Projects to State Tenders Boards.
(v) Assessment of provision of alternative source of energy such as small hydropower, gas, solar energy etc.
8. Office of the Ministry
The Chief Executives of the Ministry since the inception of the Ministry as State Commissioners or Special Advisers are:-
(1) Engr. Eben Alade (Special Adviser), June 1999-August 2003
(2) Engr. Eben Alade (Commissioner), August 2000 – January 2003
(3) Chief Diran Adesua (Commissioner), January 2003 – May 2003
(4) Mr. Peter Kehinde Odebunmi (Special Adviser), June 2003
(5) Chief Kayode Osadare (Special Adviser)
However, notwithstanding the designation, they are members of the State Executive Council i.e. they are of Cabinet rank.
The Permanent Secretaries who have worked in the Ministry as Accounting Officers are:-
(1) Mr. A.E. Ajayi (JP), June 1999 – March 2000
(2) Mrs. I.E. Omoju, April 2000 – August 2003
(3) Mr. Wole Olowoyo August, 2003 – December 2003
(4) Mr. Gabriel Olajide Ajayi, December 2003
Directorate of Information Technology, Ekiti State, Nigeria