Subsidy Removal: Kwara  Approves Monthly Cash Support of N10,000 to Public Workers

T Kwara State Governor, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has approved palliatives of a monthly cash support of N10,000 for every public sector workers in the state.

AbdulRazaq, however, said the palliative would begin in July and last until a new minimum wage is introduced to enable workers cope with the economic shocks created by the fuel subsidy removal.

In a statement issued in Ilorin yesterday on the sideline of the removal of the fuel subsidy signed by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Rafiu Ajakaye, the governor also 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 statement, however, claimed that: “The staggered work plan will not cover essential workers.

“The governor has similarly approved the payment from this month of July of a new hazard and skipping allowances, and 100 percent CONMESS for consultants and medical doctors under the government’s payroll.

He also approved a new regime of allowances for nurses working for the state government.

 The statement said: “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.”

The governor has also endorsed the immediate cash-backing of 2019 and 2020 promotion for Teaching Service Commission workers. The administration had earlier cash-backed arrears of promotion for TESCOM for 2015 to 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,” it stated.

The governor also “approved the extension of free bus rides for students of tertiary institutions in the state, while modalities for occasional distribution of food to the 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 organisations 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 many resources as the state can afford to support the people at this critical time.”

The governor has also approved for the

Kwara State Social Investment Programme (KWASSIP) to activate a N500 million 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 same. It is not free.

“Modalities for the handling of these will be made available later. This is to boost farming outputs and food security in the state,” the governor’s aide stated.

The government, meanwhile, will 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 stuff.