Subsidy removal: Abiodun assures labour unions of more palliatives

Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun has assured labour unions and residents that his government is intensifying efforts to ameliorate people’s sufferings occasioned by the fuel subsidy removal.

The governor made this known while responding to the demands of the labour unions, who were on a peaceful protest at his office in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on Wednesday, August 2, 2023.

Abiodun, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Tokunbo Talabi, said the state government had never taken the welfare and well-being of the people of the state for granted, noting that all hands are on deck towards making life more bearable for them.

The state helmsman listed some of the immediate measures put in place to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal to include cash palliative of N10,000 for each public servant and pensioner, approval of hazard allowance for all health and medical personnel, approval of peculiar allowance for public servants, and the immediate release of 2021 and 2022 promotion letters, among others.

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He added that to ensure the palliative measures go around all strata of society, his administration approved immediate cash-backing for the quarterly payment of gratuities to pensioners.

Governor Abiodun added that the modalities for the commencement of food palliatives to the vulnerable were in top gear, saying Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the government were to work out off-duty for 20 per cent of their staff, to ease the effect of the fuel hike.

Abiodun said: “What we are waiting for now, are the resolutions of the meeting between the Federal Government and the labour unions.

“As soon as a decision is reached, we can then take it up from there. We are not unaware of the momentary pains that come with fuel subsidy removal.”

Presenting a letter to the governor, the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ogun State Chapter, Hammed Benco Ademola, and his Trade Union Congress (TUC) counterpart, Akeem Lasisi, listed some of their demands to include the immediate implementation in good faith of the resolutions with labour congress jointly signed with government and TUC, the immediate reversal of all anti-poor policies of government on the recent hike in the price of fuel, school fees, Value Added Tax (VAT), and fixing the local refineries, among others.

They urged the Ogun State Government to act fast on their requests for the overall interest of the people of the state.

The Star