Shrieks of joy rang out from the confines of the homes of Ogun workers as they received the alerts of their April salary yesterday. Don’t blame them. Coming at a time when the global economy had practically ground to a halt – no less Ogun State’s – because of the devastating impact of the Corona-virus pandemic, the receipt of the salary shocked Ogun State civil servants to their marrows. They were not expecting it given prevailing circumstances across the world. Even if they secretly were, not as it was punctual and intact pre-COVID.
Like Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, and Lagos State, Ogun State was declared locked down by President Muhammadu Buhari on March 29 for an initial two weeks, but with the increase in COVID-19 cases across the country, extended it for another two weeks. Last Monday, the President announced a relaxation of the lockdown from Monday, May 4th.
However, at the outset of the initial lockdown, Governor Dapo Abiodun appealed to the president to give the state government five days to enable it to finalise the mechanisms for the distribution of relief materials and food items to the poor, old and vulnerable in the state.
As Governor Abiodun explained, “Our government is conscious of the implications and discomfort associated with these measures. Nonetheless, we are constrained to do this because the available options are limited. Not taking these measures would have dire consequences.”
Thereafter, the state government announced that it had finalised plans to deliver stimulus packages to 500,000 homes with an average of four persons each. The package contained food items and hand sanitizers for use over the 14-day pilot stage of the lockdown.
The governor then urged transition chairmen in all the Local Government Areas to “organise sensitisation programmes for people within their LGAs where they will enlighten the people, as the state government has so far done, on the symptoms and preventive measures of the coronavirus. The chairmen will also ensure that everyone is aware of the pattern of distribution so that all households will be reached effectively.”
The stimulus package was intensified upon the extension of the lockdown before the governor now added the icing on the cake with the payment of salaries, an indubitable reminder of his promise to the workers on his second day in office in 2019. Despite the near-empty treasury he admitted to having inherited, Governor Abiodun, on the resumption of duty, promised to ensure the prompt payment of workers’ salaries on or before the last working day of the month.
While addressing the workers, the governor buoyed and boosted their hopes stating, “Whether the Federal Allocation comes on time or the monthly Internal Generated Revenue (IGR) is anything to go by, we will ensure your salaries are paid as and when due. I am assuring you that we will pay you on/or before the last day of the month.”
To emphasise his seriousness, he redeemed his pledge by effecting the prompt payment of June salaries to civil servants. He has now paid April salary, a month when work had to be in abeyance because of COVID.
