Subsidy removal: Edo govt to pay 314,000 households N20,000 monthly

Edo State government has announced the payment of N20, 000 monthly to 314,000 poorest of the poor households in the state  as part of efforts to  cushion the effect of subsidy removal on the people.

The state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, who disclosed this yesterday while briefing journalists shortly after the state EXCO meeting, said the N20, 000 payment would commence next month.

He said the N20, 000 payment was in fulfilment of the Governor Godwin Obaseki’s promise of committing N500 million monthly to cushion the effect of the subsidy removal on the people during the organised labour protest.

He said the state government has a database register of the poorest of the poor in the state, adding that the database was done in 2019 in collaboration with the World Bank.

He said, “We have a database of about 314,000 households of the poorest of the poor with over one million people.

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Chris said “We are going back to the local government areas to review and revalidate the database and also capture new households that were not initially captured in 2019 and by next month we will commence payment”

He said during the revalidation, the people would be provided with the Edo State Residency Card while officials of the National Identity Management Commission [NIMC] would be available to capture the National Identification Number (NIN) biometrics of the people.

He said the fund for the palliatives would be sourced from the state’s monthly Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), adding that the government is supporting Edo people living below poverty line.

Nehikhare, however, disclosed that members of the State Executive Council condemned the legal suit the state deputy governor, Philip Shaibu instituted against the state governor, Godwin Obaseki over an alleged plot to impeach him.

“When you breach the oath of office you took, there are consequences of action, but as politicians, our doors are opened”

On security, Chris said the state government is training 1,500 vigilantes to strengthen existing security architecture to ensure the state is safe for business.