By; ADAMA JOHN, Lokoja
The Kogi State Government has said that there was no provision for any wage increase for workers in the state to cushion the effect of the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government.
The state Commissioner for Finance, Ashiru Idris, stated this today while speaking with journalists on the sidelines of the citizens’ engagement in the 2024 budget formulation in Lokoja, the state capital.
The commissioner said the government has not made any provisions for such an award for now.
He 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 state Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Gabriel Amari, said that the decision was at variance with what the governor told them.
He added that 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,” Amari said.
Earlier, the Chairperson, Kogi NGOs Network, Ambassador Idris Ozovehe Muraina, called for the enactment of budget transparency laws that would guarantee the right to access budget Information and mandate the disclosure of key budget documents to create a legal framework for transparency and accountability.
He also advocated the strengthening of institutional capacity where government agencies responsible for budget formulation, implementation and oversight must be adequately responsible for budget effective management and reporting.
