The Ogun State government, south west Nigeria has announced a N5billion intervention fund across all sectors of the economy to fight the current hardship being experienced by the residents of the State.
This comes as Protests have rocked some States with Nigerians lamenting the economic hardship following the rise in food prices, other commodities and the foreign exchange rate.
The Ogun State, Governor Dapo Abiodun who announced this while addressing journalists in Abeokuta , the state capital said that a “Series of phased out initiatives aimed at reducing and cushioning the economic burdens of the people are underway.”
According to the Governor, the initiatives included: education support grants for students, health insurance scheme, payment of backlog salary deductions of workers and distribution of food palliatives.
“Our administration acknowledges the concerns raised by many of our citizens regarding the rising food prices coupled with the depreciation of the naira we are taking proactive measures to alleviate the impact of these challenges to guarantee the welfare, well-being and wellness of our citizens this difficult time.
“We aim to address these challenges by implementing a series of phased out initiatives aimed at reducing and cushioning these burdens on all our citizens.
“In the education sector, we will be providing a one-time intervention the first instance of N10,000 education support grant for at least 100,000 pupils in our public primary and secondary schools in the state.
“Providing all 27,600 indigent students in tertiary institutions nationwide with an education grant of N50,000 each.
“In the health sector, we will be providing insurance health cover for over 70,000 beneficiaries to include pregnant women, children, the elderly, market women and other members of the informal sector.
“We will be providing food palliatives to include rice and other food items for about 300,000 households across the State.
“For civil servants, the State Government will commence to offset the backlog of inherited deductions. To this end, we are immediately committing N500million monthly payment towards outstanding deductions.
“This brings our total immediate interventions as a responsible State Government to about N5billion across all sectors of the State economy.
“Our primary responsibility as a Government is to provide security of lives and properties to all residents in the State”, Abiodun said.
Abiodun noted that his administration would not be insensitive to the challenges being faced by the citizens, appreciating the people for their perseverance, patience and understanding.
“Let me assure you that the present economic situation is just a transient phase that will soon pass. Whatever we experience now are just necessary sacrifices that we have to make towards ensuring a greater tomorrow.”
