Petrol Subsidy: Kwara Governor Announces Mitigation Measures… Okays 100% CONMESS For Health Workers…Civil Servants To Receive Monthly N10,000 Transport Allowance

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara state on Monday announced a ‘robust’ and an all-encompassing ‘support plan’  to ease things for citizens and residents of the State of Harmony.

The governor announced the mitigation measures sequel to the removal of petrol subsidy and its concomitant hardships.

He has made it clear through the ‘support plan’ that he ‘is committed  to making  life bearable for the people of Kwara state in all aspects’ as it cuts across different sectors and demographies of the state. 

Every public sector worker in the state, will receive  a cash support of N10,000 monthly effective from  this month (July) and this will  last ‘until a new minimum wage is introduced to enable workers cope with the economic shocks created by the removal of petrol subsidy ’ ,  the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr.  Rafiu Ajakaye submitted during the press conference he presided over at the Government House , Ilorin which was attended by journalists including Team@orientactualmags.com.

 He also noted that the working days reduction earlier announced by the state government which was later suspended would be reactivated adding that this was sequel to the new advisory of the National Economic Council that states  are at liberty to design their own independent responses to the issue in question.

 ‘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.

Kwara had earlier introduced a three-day work schedule for its civil servants but suspended it in deference to an earlier advisory of the NEC that states should await a more holistic response to the development’ he added.

Mr. Rafiu Ajakaye however noted that the staggered work plan will not cover ‘essential workers’ while adding that the governor has also approved the payment of new hazard and skipping allowances, and 100% CONMESS  to consultants and medical doctors under the government’s payroll effective from this month.

 ‘He also approved a new regime of allowances for public sector nurses. The whole essence is to check 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’ he  said. 

‘The governor has also endorsed immediate cash-backing of 2019 and 2020 promotion for Teaching Service Commission workers. The AbdulRazaq administration had earlier cash-backed arrears of promotion for TESCOM for years 2015-2018. 

In the same vein, he has approved cash-backing for 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. 

The governor also approved the extension of free bus rides for students at tertiary institutions in the state, while modalities for occasional distribution of food parcels to poor and most vulnerable households are to be activated in the next few days. 

This 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 organizations to generate the lists of beneficiaries and disburse accordingly. 

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

Ajakaiye also disclosed  that the state government would be making a sum of N500 million available to provide conditional support for petty traders and small business owners.

‘The governor has also 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.

The state government will receive fertilizers and grains from the Federal Government and pay for the same. It is not free. Modalities for handling the agricultural input and grains will be made available later. This is to boost farming outputs and food security in the state.

The government will in the meanwhile be setting up a committee to interface with marketers on the need to curb extortionist tendencies as seen in arbitrary fixing of prices of food stuffs. This practice imposes hardship on everyone. The government will be willing to collaborate with the patriotic market leaders on how to tackle this challenge’ he said.

Governor AbdulRazaq, who is the Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum, also noted that the current situation ‘is a passing phase’ and that there are better days ahead.  

‘Finally, the governor identifies with the President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for his strong commitments to sustainable economic reforms and 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 submitted-Team@orientactualmags.com
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