In an effort to mitigate the impact of the recent petrol subsidy removal on civil servants, the Edo State government has announced a reduction in workdays from five to three.
This move follows a similar decision by the Kwara State government. Governor Godwin Obaseki made the announcement in a statement released on Tuesday, expressing solidarity with the people and vowing to support them during these challenging times.
Governor Obaseki emphasized his administration’s commitment to alleviating the suffering experienced by residents due to the skyrocketing fuel prices, which have subsequently led to increased costs of goods and services, as well as the overall cost of living.
“In the wake of fuel subsidy removal by the federal government, fuel prices have increased astronomically leading to a rise in prices of goods and services and overall cost of living,” Obaseki said.
“As a proactive government, we have since taken the step to increase the minimum wage paid to workers in Edo state from the approved N30,000 to N40,000, the highest in the country today.
“We want to assure you that we will continue to pay this amount, while we hope to increase it even further if more allocation accrues to our state from the federal government in view of the expected savings occasioned by the removal of the fuel subsidy.
“We know the hardship that has been caused by this policy which has radically increased the cost of transportation, eating deep into the wages of workers in the state.
“Therefore, the Edo state government is hereby reducing the number of work days that civil and public servants will have to commute to their workplaces from five days a week to three days a week till further notice. Workers will now work from home two days every week.”
Additionally, Governor Obaseki revealed that the state government is actively working on expanding the EdoBEST@Home initiative, which aims to provide virtual classes. This expansion will reduce the need for commuting by parents, teachers, and pupils, consequently lowering transportation costs.
“The Edo SUBEB will provide details on this initiative in the coming days,” he added.
“To lower the rising cost of energy on our people, we will continue to work with the electricity companies in the state to improve power supply to homes and businesses.
“Similarly, fiber optic connections are being made available to help our people work remotely, thereby reducing their cost of transportation.”
Obaseki urged the people of the state to remain calm as the government intensifies efforts to alleviate the burden of the fuel price increase.
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