Local and state governments across Nigeria should emulate the Edo and Kwara state governments in taking urgent measures to alleviate the effects of fuel subsidy removal on their constituents, Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and rights activist has urged.
Falana rendered the advice Friday, during an appearance on the Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ programme.
He cited the cases of Edo and Kwara states, where work days and school days, respectively, have been reduced from five to three days per week.
“I do hope that other governments are going to follow suit or devise other means to address the problems confronting our people…,” he said.
“The attention should not be on the Federal Government alone. State governments must intervene decisively. Local governments must also bring out their own palliatives to address the pains that have been inflicted on the Nigerian people.”
Following President Bola Tinubu’s inaugural speech on May 29 in which he declared that “fuel subsidy is gone”, fuel costs skyrocketed across the country, leading to calls for palliatives to mitigate the effects of the policy.
President Bola Tinubu on July 7 directed the National Economic Council (NEC) led by Vice President Kashim Shettima to begin the process of working on interventions to mitigate the impact of subsidy removal on the Nigerians.
Meanwhile, the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, moved ahead of the pack in bringing relief to citizens. So did his Kwara State counterpart, Abdulrahman Abdulrazak.
Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, from the first week of June, reduced the number of office work days for civil and public servants from five to three days, to relieve them of the increased transport cost, following on the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government.
Obaseki further kicked-off free 24-hour Wi-Fi Internet services across various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and other public places in Edo State, accommodating 1,000 users simultaneously from each location, and covering an extensive range of 200 metres and 180 degrees from the point of presence.
This is to enable civil servants, students and others to work and learn from home, or remote locations close to their homes or schools, in view of increased transport cost.
Governor Obaseki said his administration shares in the pains of the people and assured that the State Edo Government was standing firm with them in these challenging times.
The Governor reassured that Edo as a subnational government would continue to work to reduce the pains and ameliorate the sufferings the people were facing in the wake of the current realities.
He stressed that the state’s minimum wage of N40,000 would be sustained with the hope of increment if more allocation accrues to Edo from the Federal Government, in view of the expected savings occasioned by the removal of the fuel subsidy.
Governor Obaseki further observed that work with electricity companies in the state would continue to ensure improvement in power supply to homes and businesses so as to reduce the rising cost of energy.
The Kwara Sttate Government, in like manner reduced work ddays for civil servant and students from five to three days. Addressing the three-day work week in Kwara State, Head of Service, Mrs Susan Oluwole, directed all Heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies to immediately work out a format indicating the alternating work days for each worker under them.
Oluwole said that the government took the measure to ease the burden on public workers in the state.
She also said that it was part of measures to relieve the state workers of the hardship being experienced as a result of the fuel subsidy removal announced by the Federal Government.
