The Government of Kogi State has stated that workers in the state were not included in the wage award announced by the federal government to mitigate the impact of the removal of the fuel subsidy, News About Nigeria reports.
This information was disclosed on Tuesday by the state Commissioner for Finance, Ashiru Idris, during a conversation with journalists on the sidelines of the citizens’ engagement in the 2024 budget formulation in Lokoja, the state capital.
Currently, he said the government has not allocated any provision for such an award at the moment.
He pointed out that the salary structure of the Kogi civil service is higher than that of most states in the country, emphasizing that there is no provision for additional awards to civil servants as outlined in the budget, apart from the palliative measures for the general public.
According to him, the government’s focus is to create an enabling environment for workers to operate with minimal or no hardships through the provision of infrastructural facilities and social amenities that will improve the quality of life for the citizenry.
The Commissioner mentioned that both the NLC and TUC have written to the government, and the governor has promised to hold a consultative meeting with them after the election to consider their requests.
Earlier in his address, the Chairperson of Kogi NGOs Network, Ambassador Idris Ozovehe Muraina, advocated for the enactment of budget transparency laws. These laws would ensure the right to access budget information and mandate the disclosure of key budget documents, creating a legal framework for transparency and accountability.
He also expressed concern about strengthening institutional capacity, where government agencies responsible for budget formulation, implementation, and oversight must be adequately equipped for effective budget management and reporting.
