The Benue State Government has announced plans for distributing the N5 billion that the Federal Government donated to lessen the negative effects of subsidy reduction on the populace.
During the flag-off for the distribution of aid supplies to Makurdi flood victims in 2022, state governor Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia made this revelation.
The state government, according to him, has already received N2 billion of the funds allotted to the state, and it is anticipating the next round of palliatives to lessen the consequences of the subsidy removal.
According to him, the state government will utilise the money to sign up secondary school pupils attending public schools for the 2023–2024 academic year’s WAEC and NECO exams.
According to Alia, the money would be used to train 2000 young people in the state extensively in computer and ICT skills so they may find employment both inside and outside the country.
According to the updated social registry of the women cooperatives, grants would be given to 5,000 women in the state as part of the planned intervention, he added.
He said that in order to alleviate the hardship that commuters in the state are experiencing as a result of the removal of subsidies, he will use the palliatives to buy 100 new buses for Benue Links, the state-owned transport provider, so that services are provided to residents of the state at a reduced cost.
Additionally, he stated that the palliatives would be used to fund shuttle buses in the three major towns of Makurdi, Gboko, and Otukpo to facilitate travel within the communities.
He stated that the funds would also be used to compensate state and local government pensioners who owed them a month’s worth of pension arrears.
He said that among other things, the palliatives will be used to supply each of the state’s 23 local government districts with huge quantities of food, such as rice.
He also urged for patience from the populace, saying that the government will soon begin carrying out the aforementioned plans to mitigate the consequences of subsidy removal. He expressed the expectation that the remaining portion of the money would be given to the state government coffers in the near future.
Recall that on May 29, 2023, during his inauguration, President Bola Tinubu declared the suspension of the fuel subsidy.
