A’Ibom palliatives committee recommends four working days, others

Forum 8 months ago

A’Ibom palliatives committee recommends four working days, others

The Palliatives Committee of Akwa Ibom State has recommended the approval of four working days for all categories of civil servants in the state.

This called for the reduction of the cost of daily tickets for transport operators, a reduction in the price of daily tickets for market women, as well as the provision of free drugs to pregnant women, children, and the elderly in the state.

Chairman of the committee and Secretary to the State Government, Enobong Uwah, made the request while presenting the report of the committee to the state governor, Pst. Umo Eno on Monday.

The secretary, who thanked the governor for setting up the committee to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal on the people, said that the committee had put in place modalities to ensure even distribution of the palliatives to the needy in the state.

He said that the committee has been painstaking in its duties and has come up with measures that would ameliorate the effects of the fuel subsidy removal on all classes of people.

According to him, “The committee has made far-reaching long- and short-term recommendations. They include the distribution of food items to the poorest of the poor at the village level with proper monitoring mechanisms to ensure that the items get to the targeted people, especially those in rural communities; the setting up of committees at the local government level with paramount rulers, village heads, labour leaders, student leaders, and people with disabilities; and the distribution of seedlings and agrochemicals to farmers.

“Other recommendations include three-month financial support for civil servants, approval of four working days for civil servants, a reduction in the cost of daily tickets for transport operators, a reduction in the price of daily tickets for market women, the payment of bursaries to students, the provision of free drugs for pregnant women, children, and the elderly, the provision of buses to convey workers to and from work, the opening up of economic access roads in rural areas, entrepreneurial support for business operators, intervention in primary healthcare delivery systems, the provision of a micro health insurance scheme for civil servants, and the establishment of a fuel depot in the state, among others.”

Responding, Pastor Umo Eno announced his administration’s plan to put in place a palliative measure, “One Project Per Local Government Initiative,” to create employment, reinvigorate the economy, and increase cash flow within rural communities.

He directed that the projects should be awarded to indigenous contractors from the respective local government areas.

He also tasked Local Government Chairmen to liaise with the State Executive Council to identify peculiar areas of need to be favoured by the initiative, urging the council areas to donate lands for the planned agricultural revolution by the state government.

Eno also affirmed that the committee’s reports, at a glance, were familiar and expected, with most of its recommendations already being part of his administration’s A.R.I.S.E. agenda.

He promised to study the report more closely alongside members of the State Executive Council to enable them to come up with the state government’s final position and implementation plan.