Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi’s re-introduced social security scheme for indigent elderly citizens in the state provides food for thought. He had introduced the scheme in 2012 during his first term from 2010 to 2014.
There was a pause when Fayemi of the All Progressives Congress (APC) lost to Ayo Fayose of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who governed the state a second time from October 2014 to October 2018. Fayose discontinued Fayemi’s social security scheme for needy senior citizens, which is known as Owo Arugbo.
Fayemi was reelected governor and inaugurated in October 2018. To mark the first anniversary of his administration, he re-introduced the social security scheme on October 16. Under the old scheme, 20,000 old people from 65 years of age got N5,000 naira each monthly. Fayemi was quoted as saying: “You will all recall that when we started the programme, it was the first of its kind in sub-Sahara Africa. It attracted criticisms and commendations alike.”
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Explaining the new scheme, Fayemi said: ”From the register, a total of 13,813 elderly citizens and physically challenged adults who are 18 years and above, representing the first batch, have been selected as beneficiaries of the grant. Each beneficiary will receive a quarterly grant of N20, 000 for every three months and payments will be through their bank accounts.” The inclusion of physically challenged people from 18 years of age is an improvement.
When Fayemi’s social security scheme was first introduced, the beneficiaries got N5, 000 each monthly. This was in 2012, seven years ago. This time, at N20, 000 every three months, the beneficiaries will get a little above N5, 000 each per month. The difference between N5, 000, the old monthly allowance, and about N6, 666, which the new allowance amounts to monthly, is very small, indeed insignificant.
If the scheme is supposed to provide succour to the beneficiaries, how well can it do so if the monthly benefit is not significantly different from what it was seven years ago? It is unclear whether the Fayemi administration considered the insignificance of the increase in the social security allowance. It is unclear how many people will eventually benefit from the re-introduced scheme.
It is said that half a loaf is better than none, which suggests that getting N5, 000 or N6, 666 is better than getting nothing at all. But it is also said that if a thing is worth doing, it’s worth doing well, which suggests that the Fayemi administration can do better.
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