Subsidy Removal: Bayelsa Workers Waiting Endlessly For Palliatives

Since September 2023, after the Bayelsa State government declared receipt of the N2billion palliative and two trucks of food items to cushion the effects of the fuel subsidy removal, residents in the state have continued to question the sincerity of the Prosperity administration of Senator Douye Diri, with respect to the distribution of the Federal government palliative for the most vulnerable.

Unlike other states of the federation that received the palliative fund from the federal government, there seems to be no hope in sight for Bayelsans especially the civil servants who have lost hope waiting for the cash palliative package as promised by the state government.

The commissioner for Finance, Hon. Maxwell Ebibai, had said that additional money will be given to civil servants and other officials, during the monthly transparency briefing held on December 12, 2023, but the state government has remain silent in spite of the suffering and hardship caused by fuel subsidy removal.

Expressing displeasure over the attitude of the Prosperity government towards the plight of its citizens and workers, a public affairs analyst, Mr. Prince Mac-Ake, said if for N2billion the Bayelsa State government cannot be able to dispense to its citizens appropriately, “how are we sure that when the next trench of N3billion comes, it will not do the same?”

“It is very appalling, it very shameful that even a government that tagged itself as Prosperity, cannot dispense prosperity to its own people. It is unfortunate that leadership failed to dispense service to its own people. They even promised giving civil servants some sort of bonuses as regards to the N2billion but we never saw that happened and only God knows how and where they were able to dispense that money”, Mac-Ake stated.

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Also, a civil servant under the Ministry of Information who pleaded anonymity, said some states that also received the N2billion palliatives have added extra money to the salaries of civil servants, “but here in our state, there is nothing like that more especially for the main state workers”.

“It is really painful, let them try to do things right. Up till now nothing has been said about it. Even if it is additional N10,000 that will be added to civil servants salary, it will be something. It will at least help to reduce the suffering for now. The right thing should be done, follow other states in what they are doing”, he said.