By Nudoiba Ojen
Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has expressed satisfaction with the orderly manner that state government officials were going with the sale of the rice at discounted rate to civil servants in the state.
Abiodun emphasized that civil servants remain the representatives of a unique and identifiable segment of the society, adding that whatever is done to the workers have direct impact on the society.
The governor spoke while monitoring the sale of rice at discounted price to civil servants at the State Secretariat, Oke-Mosan Abeokuta, on Monday.
He said, “I have come to witness the implementation of this laudable initiative which is one among several initiatives that the state government has put in place to cushion the impact of the inflation that we have experienced in the economy in recent time.
“The unintended consequences of this inflation is what we are trying to mitigate. We are all aware that our indefatigable President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on assumption of office, took some very decisive steps that had been applauded across the length and breath of the entire world.
“These steps were corrective and proactive to free our economy and reposition our country. The first step was the removal of subsidy on petrol and the second was to allow the Naira to float and today, as difficult as a time it is for us, we all know that there is no gain without pain. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
“As we navigate this painful period, your responsible state government, being mindful of what you are going through, appreciated the fact that we need to ride this storm today began to implement this initiative,” the governor noted.
Prince Abiodun urged the people not to lose hope in the country as the economy was gradually picking with the Naira appreciating at an incredible speed, just as the president was concerned about food security in the country.
He noted that the government would soon provide food items at an affordable price while he commended the state’s Head of Service (HoS), Mr Kehinde Onasanya, for making the process fool-proof and payment seamless.
The governor assured that his government would continue to be proactive in addressing the welfare and wellbeing of the people of the state.
While listing some of what the government has done, he said: “To date, we have done over 1,500 free surgeries. We have provided free healthcare services to our pregnant women, the aged and the very poor and vulnerable.
“We have paid N50,000 to about 80,000 Ogun State students in tertiary institutions across the country. We have also paid N10,000 to over 400,000 indigent students in primary and secondary schools in the state. We have also given them exercise books. All these initiatives are aimed to cushion the effect of this period.”
