Kogi State Government: No Wage Award Amid Fuel Subsidy Removal.

Kogi State Government: No Wage Award Amid Fuel Subsidy Removal.

The Kogi State Government has emphasized that there is no provision for additional wages for workers in the state to offset the impact of the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government.

Speaking on Tuesday during a citizens' engagement in the 2024 budget formulation in Lokoja, the state capital, the Commissioner for Finance, Ashiru Idris, clarified the government's stance.

According to the commissioner, the government has not allocated any funds for such an award at this time. He stated, "Our focus as a government is to create an enabling environment for workers to operate with little or no hardships through the provision of social amenities and infrastructural facilities that will make life better for the people."

However, the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress in the state, Gabriel Amari, contested this assertion, mentioning that the governor had assured them of a consultative meeting after the election to discuss their request for additional benefits.

Amari said, "We have a copy of the letter and the reply of the governor with me, so I cannot react to the commissioner’s statement until I hear from him directly, then I will make my comments."

Prior to this, the Chairperson of the Kogi NGOs Network, Ambassador Idris Ozovehe Muraina, advocated for budget transparency laws to guarantee access to budget information and mandate the disclosure of key budget documents. He also urged the strengthening of institutional capacity to ensure effective management and reporting of the budget by government agencies responsible for its formulation, implementation, and oversight.