Candidates of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) won all the 38 chairmanship and 177 councillorship seats in Saturday’s council elections in Ekiti.

The Ekiti State Independent Electoral Commission (EKSIEC) made the declaration at Ado-Ekiti on Sunday.

Returning Officers in the local government areas and in the local council development areas took turns to present the results of the various council areas at the headquarters of EKSIEC.

EKSIEC Chairman, retired Justice Cornelius Akintayo, applauded the electorate in Ekiti for the peaceful conduct of the election.

He also commended parties that took part in the election for their sportsmanship; EKSIEC staff who worked on the field; security agents and the media for a job well done.

Akintayo listed political parties that participated in the election as Action Alliance (AA), Action Democratic Congress (ADC), African Democratic Party (ADP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Others, he said, were Labour Party (LP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Zenith Labour Party ZLP.

EKSIEC commissioners and principal officers joined Akintayo at the presentation of the election results.

Prominent opposition parties like the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) had earlier declared their disinterest in the council elections.

Mr Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun, has commended President Bola Tinubu for approving a 50 per cent reduction in the cost of agricultural inputs for farmers during the dry season farming period.

Oyintiloye told newsmen on Sunday in Osogbo that the subsidy would have a positive impact on farmers and contribute to increased agricultural production and improved food availability.

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, on Nov. 25 said the federal government would support 250,000 wheat farmers with a 50 per cent input subsidy to cultivate about 250,000 hectares during the dry season.

Oyintiloye, a member of defunct APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), noted that the country’s current food inflation, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) stood at 31.5 per cent.

Oyintiloye, a former lawmaker also said that in the selected food price watch for the month of October, as released by NBS, shows that the average price of one kilogram of rice local sold rose by 68.10 per cent on a year-on-year basis from N487.47 in October 2022 to N819.42 in October 2023.

He said the NBS statistics further revealed that the average price of one kilogram of brown beans rose by 39.90 per cent on a year-on-year basis to N790.01 in October from N564.69 recorded same period 2022, among other food prices.

Oyintiloye, however, said that the approved farm input subsidy by the federal government was timely, as it would reduced the food inflation in the country.

He said that President Tinubu’s assurance to Nigerians in transforming the agricultural sector by making food security the number one priority had started yielding positive results.

“We need to commend President Tinubu for this 50 per cent subsidy on farm inputs.

“This will go along way to boost food and nutrition security, attract private sector investment, reduce post-harvest losses, and add value to local agriculture produce in the country,” he said.

Oyintiloye said the programme of National Agriculture Growth,  aimed at supporting farmers through training on good agricultural practices and provide certified inputs, would enhance food production.

The APC chieftain said that with the various agricultural interventions by the president, there would be a positive changes in the prices of food and there would be surpluses in the coming days.

He said the president’s passion for food security and his quick intervention on fertilizers, improved seeds, mechanisation and grants, in both long and short run, would yield a desirable results to ensure food production round the year.

Oyintiloye, however, appealed to the federal government to relate directly with subsistence and large scale farmers, among other stakeholders in agriculture business through their various associations.

He said this would enable them to access various government intervention programmes without any form of hindrance and make Nigeria self-sufficient in term of agriculture produce, thereby making prices of food items affordable.

The N27.5trillion 2024 Appropriation Bill on Friday scaled through second reading at the Senate.

The followed debates by lawmakers on the general principles of the bill at plenary.

Sen. Adams Oshiomole (APC -Edo) said there was need for appropriations to be made for the completion of the Benin-Auchi Road,saying that the road was a major link connecting Nigerians from the six zones of the country.

He said the completion of the road would help to improve economic activities in the country.

He said it was not for the Senate to be debating exchange rate, saying that determinants of exchange rate was a matter of micro economic policies.

Sen.Franchis Fadahunsi (PDP-Osun), who commended the 2024 budget, said there was need for the masses to benefit from the content of the budget on implementation.

He called for allocation of more funds to ensure completion of roads in in Osun and other parts of the country.

Sen.Enyinnaya Abaribe(APGA-Abia)said not much was allocated to power as information indicated that less than 3 per cent was allocated to power in the budget.

He said power was key to employment generation and optimal workings of other sectors and the economy in general.

He said the Senate would have to re-order the priorities of the budget for direct impact on the economy.

Sen. Aba Moro(PDP-Benue) said allocation to education should be based on UNESCO provisions, given the challenges in the education sector.

Former President of Senate, Ahmad lawan commended President Tinubu for the budget.

He said the success of any administration was based on the support the legislature, saying that the National Assembly must continue to support the President.

He called on the senate committees to be interested on what happened on the implementation of previous budgets of 2021,2022,2023 both supplementary and main budget.

Lawan said emphasis must be placed on having secured and safe environment for schools to function, and provision of enabling peace in Niger-Delta.

He called for prioritisation of security in 2024 budget, saying that security was key in attaining the required economic activities.

Deputy President of Senate, Barau Jubril, shortly after the 2024 Appropriation Bill scaled second reading refered the bill to the Committee of Appropriations.

The committee was to return it back to plenary on Dec.19 for further legislative input on the bill.