Osun State governor, Ademola Adeleke, on Wednesday approved the payment of wage award to civil servants and pensioners in the state as a measure to mitigate the impact of subsidy removal.
Adeleke in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, stated that the action was in a continuation of his avowed commitment to workers' welfare and a fulfillment of his pledge for the gradual rollout of palliative measures to cushion the effect of subsidy removal.
"On the first day of my second year in office, I unveil this wage award and reaffirm our five point agenda which has workers' welfare as number one item", Governor Adeleke noted.
Governor Adeleke's approval was conveyed in a circular issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Capacity Building, disclosing that workers in the service of the state will get a N15,000 wage award while pensioners will receive N10,000.
The circular which was signed by Sunday Olugbenga Fadele, a Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, noted that the wage award will run for six months, beginning from the month of December.
"Sequel to the negotiation meetings and interactions with labour movement in Osun state, including the representatives of Nigeria Union of Pensioners, the Governor of Osun State, His Excellency, Senator Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke, has approved the monthly payment of N15,000 to each active worker and N10,000 to each pensioners in Osun state as palliatives to assuage the pains being experienced as a result of removal of petroleum subsidy by the Federal Government of Nigeria. The payment, as approved, is to commence from the month of December, 2023 for a period of six (6) months," the circular reads in part.
"While acknowledging and appreciating the understanding of Osun state workers and pensioners for their show of understanding regarding the efforts of the State Government in the last one year to improve tremendously on their welfare, being the first on the 5-point Action Plan, the present administration will continue to ensure its commitment to the welfare of workers are met at all times.
"It is expected that this gesture of government will spur workers in the State to be more diligent and committed to their duties."
Well make Abia Nigeria's SME hub, Gov Otti promises
Abia State governor, Dr. Alex Otti, says his administration is doing all that is neccessary to enable the State retain its lead and excel as the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) hub of Nigeria.
The governor stated this on Tuesday while addressing a delegation of Bank of Industry (BOI) management, who came on a business visit to him.
According to him, his overall target is to make Abia a leading State with the ease of doing business across the country and added that his vision is to gainfully engage the people and reduce hardship, hunger and insecurity to the barest minimum.
The Governor, who also described the proposition of the visiting bankers as being in tandem with his vision for the State, noted that governance is all about the people, especially easing the burden off their shoulders.
"We strongly believe that governance is about the people, and anything you do that does not affect the people in a positive way, no matter how high falutin it may sound or look, will be a waste," he said.
Governor Otti, while describing Abia people as industrious, said he was committed to creating a business friendly atmosphere to enable Abia entrepreneurs excel and compete favourably with their counterparts across the globe.
"So, for us, we have come here to ease the burden of our people, particularly the very industrious set of hard working people. We have come to provide an enabling environment for them to do their business," he said.
He encouraged BOI to do more to encourage the growth of SMEs in the State and promised to support the management reopen the bank's office in Aba, to serve the people better.
The State chief executive noted that in a bid to promote ease of doing business, his administration had made it a policy to issue Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) in the State within 30 days of application, as far as the necessary requirements had been fulfilled by the applicant.
Earlier, the Executive Director Corporate Services, Bank of industry Mr. Usen Effiong said that the bank since inception had continued to work to attain the mandate of providing funds for the establishment and growth of SMEs and other businesses in Nigeria.
He also said that the bank is interested in collaborating with government to stimulate and grow the economy of the state by supporting the youths and all kinds of artisans who have huge clusters of businesses in Aba.
Also speaking, the BOI Divisional Head SMEs, Mrs. Uche Nwuka, disclosed that the bank have two types of funding product's it would like the state to consider for the benefit of its teeming business people.
The products, according to Mrs. Nwuka, are the Managed Fund and Matching Fund, which she said the State could leverage on to boost the SME in the State.
Governor Otti was joined in the meeting by some members of the State Executive Council among whom were the commissioners for Trade, Commerce and Industry, Dr. Chimezie Ukaegbu; and Budget and Planning, Mr. Kingsley Anosike.
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