Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo state has announced his administration’s short-term plans to mitigate the effects of the fuel subsidy removal on residents of the state.

Mr Makinde, in a statement issued by his chief press secretary, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, said his administration would continue to put the interest of the people first.

The governor, in a state-wide broadcast on Saturday evening, maintained that food security, transportation and the other sectors of the economy are among the immediate areas being targeted by his government.

“These will help to reduce the economic difficulties facing residents of the state,” he said.

Mr Makinde then directed the state civil servants, who had been protesting since Monday, to resume their duty posts this Monday.

He promised that his government would pay the two months deductions owed the workers with their August salary.

“We will also explore further options in the sphere of dialogue.

“Our government remains open to parleying with labour to ensure that the rights of the workers of Oyo state are protected.

“The union leaders should return to the negotiating table to discuss any increases in salary or possible harmonisation of pension payments,” the governor stated.

He added that in line with his promise to do more, his administration had arrived at decisions that would benefit majority of the people in the state while it continued to explore other measures.

“After wide consultations, we have arrived at decisions that we believe will be of the most benefit to the good people of Oyo state.

“In reaching these decisions, we considered the importance of using these economic packages to stimulate our economy and bring about sustainable development,” Mr Makinde stated.

The governor added that the short-term plans tagged the “Sustainable Actions for Economic Recovery (SAfER) would target the poorest of the poor and the vulnerable and ensure a softer landing for them.

He said the action plans would also ease the burden of transportation for all residents and civil servants and also address the challenges of food security.

He stated that under the SAfEr package, agro-preneurs trained under the Youth Entrepreneurship in Agribusiness Project (YEAP), who have established agric-businesses would receive enterprise support of N500 million.

”Small businesses will benefit from low-interest-rate loans with the provision of N500 million facility.”

The governor added that the state government was already updating its social register to capture 200,000 of the poorest of the poor.

”They will be provided with food relief packages and 100,000 health insurance packages will be rolled out for the vulnerable in the society.

The governor disclosed that the services of the Omituntun Mass Transit Buses would be extended to cover inter-city routes across all five zones of the state.

He added that more buses would be provided for the transportation of civil servants in the state.

“Let me now share details of our SAfER package. Following the pattern of our actions during the COVID-19 pandemic, we are updating our social register to include 200,000 of the poorest of the poor.

“These will be provided with immediate food relief packages. As usual, we will ensure transparency in the registration process so that only those who qualify will get this immediate relief.

“We will be providing health insurance for 100,000 of our most vulnerable citizens. We will be paying their one-year health insurance premium under the Oyo State Health Insurance Agency (OYSHIA) scheme so that they have access to quality healthcare without paying out of pocket.

“Our farmers have not been left out, to ensure food security, we will be distributing additional inputs to 10,000 farmers.

“This is in addition to the input support being provided under the World Bank-assisted OYS-CARES programme and further details will be released through the relevant agencies in the coming weeks.

“Tertiary institution students in Oyo State will board the Omituntun Buses at half price upon showing their school identity card,” the governor said.

He equally stated that the government would resume the monthly payment of gratuities to pensioners to continue to clear the backlog of gratuity payments inherited by his administration.

(NAN)