Ogun earmarks N5bn to tackle rising cost of food, inflation

 

L-R: Hon. Kayode Akinmade, special adviser to the governor on media; Mr. Kolawole Fagbohun; Head of Service;  Governor Dapo Abiodun; Mr. Tokunbo Talabi, Secretary to the Ogun State Government (SSG),  Dr. Oluwatoyin Taiwo, deputy chief of staff to the governor; at a press conference by Governor Abiodun to announce palliatives to the residents of Ogun State on Wednesday

Prince Dapo Abiodun, Ogun State Governor, has announced a N5 billion intervention fund to cushion the affect of rising cost of living and inflation in the state.

Addressing a press conference held at the Olusegun Osoba Press Centre, Governor's Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, Abiodun said the fund would cover education, health, workers' deduction and food palliative.

He 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.

"In education sector, we are providing a minimum of five exercise books for all 850,000 students in our public primary and secondary schools.

"We will provide a one-time N10,000 education support grant for at least 100,000 pupils in our public primary and secondary schools in the state. We will also provide all 27,600 indigent students in tertiary institutions nationwide with an education grant of N50,000 each."

The governor said his administration would provide insurance health cover for over 70,000 beneficiaries to include pregnant women, children, the elderly, market women and other members of the informal sector while  pregnant women, under the Ibidero Scheme would be provided with free pre-natal care, an additional N5,000 per birth and free post-natal care in the state hospitals and primary health care centers across the state.

Governor Abiodun stated that provision would be made for food palliatives to include rice and other food items for about 300,000 households across the State. 

"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 continued to pay N10,000 transport allowance to all civil servants in the last eight months.

"This brings our total immediate interventions to about N5 billion across all sectors of the state economy," the governor said.

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.

"We extend our appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his continuous efforts in navigating the complexities of our nation's economic landscape. 

"His dedication to steering the ship through turbulent times has not gone unnoticed," he said.