Subsidy Removal: Kwara State Governor Approves Multibillion Naira Palliatives

The Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has approved a slew of multibillion naira palliatives to neutralise the effects of the fuel subsidy removal, cutting across different sectors and demographics of the state.

This was made known by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye while addressing newsmen at the Government House, Ilorin on Monday.

According to him, “On top of the palliatives is a cash support of N10,000 for every public sector worker in the state, which will begin this month (July) and last until a new minimum wage is introduced to enable workers to cope with the economic shocks created by the subsidy removal.”

Ajakaye disclosed that in deference to the new advisory of the National Economic Council for states to design their independent responses to the development, the Governor has directed the leadership of the civil service to continue a staggered work schedule, not exceeding three days a week, to reduce transportation expenses for workers.

The state had introduced a three-day work schedule for its civil servants but suspended it in deference to an earlier advisory of the NEC for states to await a more holistic response to the development stressing that the staggered work plan will not cover ‘essential workers.

He also announced that the Governor has similarly approved the payment, from this month, July, of new hazard and skipping allowances, and 100% CONMESS for consultants and medical doctors under the government’s payroll and similarly approved a new regime of allowances for nurses working for the state government.

He said; “the essence is to check the attrition rate in the health sector and attract and retain medics and specialists to provide improved, qualitative healthcare services for the people of the state.”

The Chief Press Secretary said further that Governor AbdulRazaq has also endorsed immediate cash-backing of 2019 and 2020 promotion for Teaching Service Commission workers, explaining that “the state had cash-backed arrears of promotion for TESCOM for years 2015-2018.”

“In the same vein, the Governor has approved cash-backing for the 2021 promotion exercise of teaching and non-teaching staff of SUBEB and restoration of steps to all of them. This is a policy response to the yearnings of SUBEB workers since 2016 when SUBEB workers no longer had steps.

“He also approved the extension of free bus rides for students of tertiary institutions in the state, while modalities for occasional distribution of food to poor and most vulnerable households are to be activated in the next few days,” Ajakaye said

He assured the people of Kwara that the programme shall be nonpartisan, and would be coordinated by a government team to be supported by respected stakeholders who would get inputs from traditional rulers, religious bodies, market leaders, trade unionists, and community-based organisations to generate the lists of beneficiaries and disburse accordingly.

Ajakaye further said that the whole idea of these interventions, which gulp billions of naira of public funds, is to show empathy and deploy as many resources as the state can afford to support the people at this special time.

The Governor’s spokesman also announced that the Governor has approved for the Kwara State Social Investment Programme (KWASSIP) to activate a N500m worth of conditional support for petty traders and MSMEs in the state.

According to him, the state government will receive fertilisers and grains from the Nigerian Government and pay for the same as it is not free while modalities for the handling of these will be made available later stressing that he is to boost farming outputs and food security in the state.

Ajakaye said that the state government would be setting up a committee to interface with marketers on the need to curb extortion as seen in the arbitrary fixing of prices of food stuffs as this practice imposes hardship on everyone.

He announced that the government would be willing to collaborate with patriotic market leaders on how to tackle this challenge.

Ajakaye stressed that the Governor identifies with the President, Bola Tinubu, for his strong commitments to sustainable economic reforms and the well-being of the Nigerian people, believing that the current discomforts are just like the pains that precede the joyful birth of a child.

He promised that the State Governor has great respect for the retirees and pensioners as their plight would also be well taken care of.

Mercy Chukwudiebere