Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has approved the extension of the N10,000 transport allowance granted to the state civil servants to cushion the effect of the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government by another six months.
The allowance, which was part of various interventions adopted by the state government following the Federal Government’s deregulation policy in July would have ended in September.
Speaking during a meeting with Permanent Secretaries in the state, Abiodun disclosed that the extension would allow the state workforce to continue to cope with the effects of the subsidy removal.
He described the allowance as part of the temporary immediate-term interventions to allow the government to come up with appropriate medium and long-term intervention plans for all categories of people in the state.
Apart from the N10,000, which also covers pensioners, the state government also approved hazard allowance for health and medical personnel, immediate release of letters of promotion in respect of 2021 and 2022, payment of March and April 2023 leave bonuses for public servants and immediate cash-backing for the quarterly payment of gratuities to pensioners.
The governor recalled that Ogun was the first state to introduce E-Mobility and Gas Mobility Programme with Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) enabled buses and electric-powered tricycles and motorcycles (Okada).
He clarified the palliatives being distributed across the state have elicited public applause, except in a few instances where critics flawed the government’s efforts.
According to him, palliatives are not meant for people who are not in need, adding that it is impossible to distribute palliatives to the five million people in the state.
While speaking of plans by his administration to leave legacy projects at the end of his tenure, the governor hinted that a special committee on the rehabilitation of public schools would soon be set up, saying the committee would be funded through a trust fund.
In addition, Abiodun disclosed that efforts were being made by the government to improve mobility in the state by identifying and rehabilitating critical roads across the state.
