Ekiti Palliatives: Poor residents to get N5,000 monthly

Ekiti on Wednesday approved palliatives to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal.

Tagged “Ekiti State Subsidy Relief Programme’’, the government approved a consequential adjustment of the minimum wage for civil servants from Grade 14 to Grade 17.

It approved the payment of leave bonuses for 2017 and the implementation and payment of 2020 and 2021 promotion arrears to its civil servants.

The government also approved the payment of N5,000 in monthly conditional cash transfers to 10,000 poor and most vulnerable households from August to December 2023.

The conditional transfer focuses on the elderly, while another 10,000 residents, especially the elderly, would be considered for free medical attention under the Ekiti Health Insurance Scheme.

To cushion the effect of the high cost of transportation, especially on workers and students, the government would provide free mass transit buses.

It would also distribute free foodstuffs to the poor and most vulnerable households.

The government also approved payment of 90 percent of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure and 100 percent Hazard Allowance for local government health workers and salary parity for clinical staff of the Hospitals Management Board.

The Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development, Mr. Akintunde Oyebode, made these known in Ado-Ekiti on Wednesday at a news briefing.

He assured that the increased revenue accruing to the state from the removal of fuel subsidies would lead to improved service delivery from the government.

“In addition to the already mentioned interventions, the government will distribute inputs to farmers and give financial support to small businesses and the informal sector,’’ Oyebode said.

Labour leaders at the news briefing took turns appreciating the government’s efforts at alleviating the hardships of the citizenry.