Gov. Dapo Abiodun of Ogun has rolled out palliatives worth over N5 billion to reduce the hardship and better the lives of people in the state.

Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday in Abeokuta, Mr Abiodun explained that his government was not oblivious nor insensitive to the challenges being faced by the citizens.

He appreciated the perseverance, patience and understanding of all residents in the state, assuring them that the present economic situation is just a transient phase that will soon pass.

He appreciated President Bola Tinubu for his continuous efforts in navigating the complexities of the nation’s economic landscape.

“The federal government is not only steadfast in its commitment toward creating a brighter future for all citizens, but it is also trying hard to foster a society where prosperity and well-being of the entire citizens prevail,” he said.

Mr Abiodun said that his administration acknowledges the concerns raised by many of the citizens regarding the rising food prices and shortages, coupled with the depreciation of the naira.

The governor said that the state was taking proactive measures to alleviate the impact of these challenges to guarantee the welfare, well-being and wellness of its citizens in these difficult times.

“We aim to address these challenges by implementing a series of phased initiatives aimed at alleviating these burdens on all our citizens.

“The state is providing a minimum of five exercise books for all 850,000 students in our public primary and secondary schools.

“We are providing a one-time N10,000 education support grant for at least 100,000 pupils in our public primary and secondary schools in the state.

“Providing all 27,600 indigent students in tertiary institutions nationwide with an education grant of N50,000 each.

“In the health sector, we will be providing insurance health cover for over 70,000 beneficiaries to include pregnant women, children, the elderly, market women and other members of the informal sector.

“More specifically, for pregnant women, under our Ibidero Scheme, we will be providing free pre-natal care, an additional N5,000 per birth and free post-natal care in our state hospitals and primary health care centres across the state,” he said.

The governor added that the state would provide food palliatives to include rice and other items for about 300,000 households across the state.

Mr Abiodun said that the state government would commence offsetting the backlog of inherited deductions of civil servants, adding that N500 million monthly payment would be committed toward outstanding deductions.

“It is noteworthy that we have continued to pay N10,000 transport allowance to all civil servants for the last eight months.

“This brings our total immediate interventions as a responsible state government to about N5 billion across all sectors of the state economy,” he said.

(NAN)