Civil servants and pensioners in Kwara State have expressed concern over the state government’s decision not to pay their monthly N10,000 palliative allowance.

The state Governor, Mallam AbdulRaman AbdulRazaq had in July this year approved the payment of N10,000 only as monthly stipend for its workers in addition to other measures to cushion the effect of the removal of petrol subsidy by the Federal Government.

The other measures announced by the government was the reduction of work days for the civil servants from five to three days per week.

However, not a few of the workers have expressed disappointment that the government did not pay the monthly stipend for November along with the salary as has been the usual practice since it was introduced in July.

A civil servant simply identified as Bashiru Abdulkadir who confirmed to Arewa PUNCH that the N10,000 palliative was not paid along with the November salary said that the workers were not sure if the government had stopped the payment of the palliative to the workers.

Bashiru noted that the workers were expecting an increment in the amount being paid by the state government as was the case in some neighbouring states like Oyo and Osun, adding that the government should have informed the workers through the labour union leaders that it wanted to stop the payment.

“Our Governor, Mallam AbdulRaman AbdulRazaq has done well in giving the workers the palliative as he was the first governor to announce it, but we were expecting that AbdulRazaq, being the chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum would increase the N10,000 to more than the N25,000 being paid by the governors of Oyo and Osun states as palliative to their workers.”

He maintained that the amount, even when it was being paid could not defray the cost of transportation for the workers, as such, Bashir appealed to the governor to reconsider the plight of the workers in the state by increasing the amount of the palliative.

A civil servant who identified herself as Hajia Awawu said that she does not believe the government has stopped paying the stipend because the workers have already added the N10,000 stipend as part of their take home pay.

Therefore, she appealed to the governor to continue to pay the stipend and even add more for the state workers so that they can meet up with transportation cost as well as other expenses brought about by the removal of fuel subsidy.

Chairman of the Trade Union Congress in the state, Comrade Tunde Joseph told Arewa PUNCH that the coalition of labour unions have lodged complaints over the non payment of the allowance to the government.

Joseph remarked, “We have met with the Chief Press Secretary to the governor to complain over the non payment of the N10,000 palliative along with the November salary and he told us that it would be paid to them in the last week.

“We have entered another week now and we have not heard anything.

“We have also written letters to the government to increase the monthly allowance to N35,000 as was announced by the Federal Government, and we are still waiting for the reply,” the TUC chairman disclosed further to Arewa PUNCH.

Efforts by our correspondent to get the government’s response over the issue proved abortive as calls made to the telephone number of Mr Rafiu Ajakaye, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor were not responded to, even as the chat forwarded to his Whatsapp number on Monday has yet to be replied as at press time.