Kogi State government on Tuesday ruled out the provision of new wages for workers to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal in the state.
The state Commissioner for Finance, Asiru Idris, stated this while speaking with journalists on the sidelines of the citizens’ engagement on the 2024 budget in Lokoja.
He said the government has not made any provision for new wages for now.
Idris said: “If you look at the salary structure of the state civil service, you will realise that it’s higher than most states in the country. Therefore, apart from the palliative for the general public, there is no provision for further award to civil servants and so no provision for it to be captured in the budget.
“Our focus as a government is to create an enabling environment for workers to operate with little or no hardships through the provision of social amenities and infrastructural facilities that will make life better for the people.”
However, the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the state, Gabriel Amari, disagreed with the commissioner on the matter.
He said Asiru’s claim was different from what the governor told them.
Amari said the organised labour wrote to the government, and the governor promised to hold a consultative meeting with them after the election to consider their request.
“We have a copy of the letter and the reply of the governor with me, so I cannot react to the commissioner’s statement until I hear from him directly, then I will make my comments,” he stated.
