Hardship: Governor Abiodun Unveils N5bn Special Package

Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun has approved a special intervention package of N5 billion for the people of Ogun State as part of a measure by his administration to cushion the effects of the current economic hardship in the state.

At a press conference yesterday at the Aremo Olusegun Osoba Press Centre located within the precinct of the Governor’s Office in Oke Mosan, Abeokuta, Governor Abiodun said the intervention package will cover education, health, food palliative as well as the welfare of the civil servants in the state.

The governor said indigent students of both public primary and secondary schools will get  N10,000 each as a one-time intervention package, while indigent students of public tertiary institutions would be paid N50,000 each in addition to learning materials.

Abiodun said his administration acknowledged the concerns raised by the people regarding the rising food prices “and shortages, coupled with the depreciation of the Naira”, emphasising that the state under his watch was already taking proactive measures towards alleviating “the impact of these challenges to guarantee the welfare, well-being and wellness of our citizens in this difficult time”.

“In this direction and through targeted interventions, we aim to address these challenges by implementing a series of phased initiatives aimed at alleviating these burdens on all our citizens”.

Giving a breakdown of what he described as the “immediate intervention”, Abiodun saidt each of the 100,000 indigent students in public primary and secondary schools across the state would receive N10,000 as educational support grants, while 850,000 others will be provided with a minimum of five exercise books each.

All the 27,600 indigent students in tertiary institutions nationwide will benefit from an education grant of N50,000 each.

In the health sector, Abiodun said his administration would  provide insurance health coverage for over 70,000 beneficiaries, including pregnant women, children, the elderly, market women and other members of the informal sector.