The Ondo State government has announced palliatives to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal, which has further plunged more citizens into economic hardship.

Wale Akinterinwa, the state Commissioner for Finance, announced this at a Thursday evening press briefing.

Mr Akintwriwa, who also doubles as the chairman of the Ondo government’s Palliative Strategy and Implementation Committee, said the state would roll out free shuttle buses for the students and CNG buses for the public servants.

He revealed that the shuttle buses would be strategically located on the streets to convey the students starting from their resumption date- September until December 31, 2023. 

He said the students and civil servants would be charged from January 2024.

Mr Akinteriwa also maintained that the tertiary institution students engaged in nano businesses on campus are included in the government palliative.

He added that aside from free shuttle buses, the public servants in the state would be paid their 2020 leave bonus. 

According to him, the government has also introduced a social intervention scheme that will help assist residents in all the state’s local government areas. 

He added that the residents, especially the vulnerable and pensioners, would get N10,000 each to cushion the hardship.

While accepting that the economic realities occasioned by the fuel subsidy removal have continued to take their toll on the people, Mr Akinteriwa revealed that at least one million households would get free food to be provided by the state government. 

“Unconditional Cash Transfer – For three months, ten thousand naira (N10,000) will be given to selected vulnerable persons in every local government,” he said. “All pensioners in the state, be they local government or state, will get ten thousand Naira (N10,000) each starting this August till December 2023.”

On Agriculture, the commissioner also emphasised that farm inputs at subsidised rates will be made available to farmers, stressing that poultry and fish farmers will be given free drugs, maise, and feeds for their birds and fishes.

He noted that tricycles will be given free to farming communities to ease the movement of farm produce and supervised by officially recognised, community-based stakeholder groups. 

He, however, further revealed that the state has decided to suspend hospital registrations and consultation fees, affirming that the government would reimburse the hospitals directly based on existing data. 

The announcement came after organised labour trooped the streets on Wednesday to protest against the country’s hardship following the increase in petrol prices.