Kwara State government said it is spending additional N1.392 billion monthly on the payment of palliatives to civil servants in the state since the removal of fuel subsidy by the federal government.

The government disclosed the figure following agitations for more welfare packages by the leadership of the joint labour unions in the state.

The organised labour had given the state government a 14-day ultimatum to meet its demands or face industrial action.

But, the state government in a statement signed by the commissioner for Communication, Mrs Bola Olukoju explained that,” since the wake of and since the removal of subsidy by the Federal Government, the administration has committed additional N1.392 billion every month to payment of palliatives to the workers alone.

“This administration, despite being among the third lowest recipients of federal allocations, has fewer rivals in the country in terms of prompt payment of salary and general welfare of workers,” Olukoju added.

She, however, restated the state government’s commitment to the promotion of the welfare of workers and the people of the state.

The commissioner added that “as things stand today at the state level, an average of 74.06 per cent of federal allocation to the state goes into payment of salaries and allowances of workers alone. This does not include the cost of providing government services or any public emergency. At the local government level, between 80 per cent and 95 per cent of their monthly allocations go into paying workers’ salary alone.

“This leaves just a pittance for the rest of the population and developmental projects. It is worse at the local government level. This often forces the government to resort to different financial strategies, including loans, to maintain or expand existing infrastructure and develop new ones to ensure socioeconomic growth and human capital development.

“Regardless, the administration understands the critical roles that workers play in the implementation of projects, policies, and programmes of government, and will continue to pay attention to the welfare of workers in a sustainable way. To this end, the government is already doing a lot of reviews to gradually accommodate the demands.”