Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun, on Monday said more than 1,500 residents of the state benefited from the government’s ongoing surgeries under its free surgery intervention programme.

The governor disclosed this while monitoring the sale of discounted rice to civil servants at the state secretariat complex in Abeokuta.

He said thousands of pregnant women, the aged and the vulnerable also benefited from the free healthcare services rendered by the state government.

Mr Abiodun said his administration would continue to be proactive in addressing the welfare and well-being of the people of the state.

“To date, we have done over 1,500 free surgeries. We have provided free healthcare services to our pregnant women, the aged and the very poor and vulnerable. We have paid N50,000 to about 80,000 Ogun State students in tertiary institutions across the country.

“We have also paid N10,000 to over 400,000 indigent students in primary and secondary schools in the state. We have also given them exercise books. All these initiatives are aimed at cushioning the effect of this period we are in,” he said.

Mr Abiodun also expressed delight at the orderly manner the exercise of selling discounted rice to civil servants was conducted.

He said civil servants remained the representatives of a unique and identifiable segment of society, adding that whatever was done to the workers had direct impact on society.

“I have come to witness the implementation of this laudable initiative, which is one among several initiatives that the state government has put in place to cushion the impact of the inflation that we have experienced in the economy in recent time.

“The unintended consequence of this inflation is what we are trying to mitigate. We are all aware that our indefatigable President, Bola Tinubu, on the assumption of office, took some decisive steps which have been applauded across the length and breadth of the entire world. These steps were corrective and proactive to free our economy and reposition our country,” the governor said.

He urged the people not to lose hope in the country.

He said, “The economy is gradually picking up, with the naira appreciating at an incredible speed, just as the President is concerned about food security in the country.”

Earlier, the state’s Head of Service, Kehinde Onasanya, informed the governor that the sale of discounted rice, which started at the weekend, had gone on smoothly.

Mr Onasanya said the director of administration and permanent secretary of each state agency was on ground to identify their staff before any purchase could be made.

He commended the governor for making the food item available for the workers at a reasonable price.

”The gesture will go a long way in mitigating the hardship being experienced in the country,” he said.

(NAN)