My administration working to ease economic hardship caused by fuel subsidy removal: Gov. Makinde

He said that his administration had been doing a lot to alleviate the hardship.

News Agency of Nigeria • February 22, 2024

Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde (Photo Credit: Twitter)

Governor Seyi Makinde has said that his administration is doing its best to mitigate the hardship caused by fuel subsidy removal on residents of Oyo State.

Mr Makinde said this on Thursday in Iseyin during the inauguration of the newly renovated multi-billion naira Iseyin Central Mosque.

The governor noted that Nigerians were currently witnessing a difficult period in the nation’s history.

He said that his administration had been doing a lot to alleviate the hardship.

According to him, the Oyo state government was the first state to announce and implement measures to reduce hardship through the Sustainable Action for Economic Recovery (SafER) programme.

“We have been paying wage award; N25,000 for workers and N15,000 for pensioners, and we have paid for close to six months.

“Only last week, I announced an extension of the wage award for another six months so that we can have the time to conclude the discussion on minimum wage.

“Though there is much to be done, we will continue to do everything within our power to support our people during this hard time,” the governor said.

Mr Makinde used the opportunity to deny a media report credited to the Senate President, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, that state governors had collected N30 billion from the federal government to address food insecurity in their respective states.

He admonished the nation’s leaders to instil confidence and hope in the citizenry in this trying time rather than playing the blame game.

Mr Makinde commended the facilitator of the mosque renovation, Ahmed Raji, and hailed the religious harmony in the state.

He said the presence of representatives of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) at the event was a positive testimony that there was religious harmony in the state.

The Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar, who was a special guest at the occasion, appreciated Mr Makinde for attending the event.

Mr Abubakar commended the Oyo governor for being passionate about the welfare of his people and concluded that the governor was on the right track.

(NAN)

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