The governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun has announced a N5bn palliatives in all sectors of the state economy.
The governor explained that the palliative was meant to cushion the socio-economic hardship experienced by residents of the state.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abeokuta, the state capital, on Wednesday evening, Abiodun noted that food palliatives for about 300,000 vulnerable households across the three Senatorial districts of the state have been approved.
He also stated that there would be gradual offsetting of outstanding deductions to state workers to the tune of N500m monthly.
The governor further announced N50,000 support for about 27,000 Ogun State students in tertiary institutions across the country, insurance package for 70,000 residents and pregnant women, among other palliatives.
The governor said, “As our administration acknowledges the concerns raised by many of our citizens regarding the rising food prices and shortages, coupled with the depreciation of the Naira, we identify with you and are taking proactive measures to alleviate the impact of these challenges to guarantee the welfare, well-being and wellness of our citizens in this difficult time.
“In this direction and through targeted interventions, we aim to address these challenges by implementing a series of phased initiatives aimed at alleviating these burdens on all our citizens.
“The state has taken the following steps: Education Sector: Providing a minimum of 5 exercise books for all 850,000 students in our public primary and secondary schools.
“We are providing a one-time 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.
“The State Government will commence to offset the backlog of inherited deductions. To this end, we are immediately committing N500 million monthly payment towards outstanding deductions. It is noteworthy that we have continues to pay N10,000 transport allowance to all civil servants for the last 8 months.
“This brings our total immediate interventions as a responsible State Government to about N5 billion across all sectors of the State economy.”
He 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.