The National Economic Council (NEC) has revealed that it considered recommendations from the National Salaries Income and Wages Commission to pay N702bn as a cost of living allowance to civil servants.
The money, according to the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, is part of steps to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal by the federal government for civil servants in the country.
It was learnt that the governor on Thursday after the inauguration of the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa said the intervention included a recommended sum ranging from N23.5 billion to N45 billion per month as a petroleum allowance for civil servants.
Goldennewsng recalls that the Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun had last week revealed that the NEC headed by the Vice President Kashim Shettima has been directed by President Bola Tinubu to commence interventions on how to mitigate the effect of the fuel subsidy removal.
However, Mohammed on Thursday revealed that NEC also received other suggestions to review the salaries and wages of civil servants.
He said “The NEC had received recommendations on the various ways and means that the country can use whatever increases that we have in the revenue to mitigate the impact that this is going to make on the lives of our workers.
“And so they recommended that there should be a consequential adjustment, estimated at N702.92 billion as part of the allowances that should be given as petroleum allowance to all workers and as well as an N23 billion or N2 5billion monthly offer to cushion the effect on workers.
“In addition to the palliative, the government looked at all the issues, challenges and problems holistically and set up a small committee of the council to review and come up with a term of reference to organise areas specifically where this palliative can come from and how it will be dispensed to alleviate the problem of workers and other vulnerable groups.”