In a couple of weeks from now the Edo State Government would be providing N500million monthly from its own internally generated revenue for the poorest of the poor to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal and other economic downturn as it affects the citizens of the state.
This much information was divulged by Hon. Chris Nehikhare, the Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, at an end of exco meeting media briefing on Wednesday afternoon.
He disclosed that the disbursement of the money would be done in line with what the state government has gathered from the data base that it created for the poorest of the poor which is being revised, reviewed and revalidated.
“We have 314,000 households and over a million people that we believe are living below acceptable poverty line.”
He stated that the state government is going from one local government area to the other to do the revalidation and also give each person the state residency card.
Nehikhare stressed that when everyone has been properly captured through the residency card and the NIN “we will provide N20,000 for every household every month.
“We are using our own internally generated revenue which is a contribution from all Edo people in form of taxes. That’s what we’re committing to this project and I think it’s a noble idea.”
On security, the Commissioner disclosed that the government is training 1,500 people(volunteers) at the Police Training College based in Ogida Barracks for vigilante assignment, adding that “all the people that we are training we are getting their biometrics.
“We are recommissioning them to make sure that they think like law enforcement agents and this is for the security of Edo people. Our state is more secured. We want Edo State to be one of the safest states in the country. That’s why we have regular trainings of volunteers to make sure that we have a strong force.”
Speaking about the exco reaction to the face off between Governor Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Comrade Philip Shaibu, Nehikhare said that the exco condemned the action of the deputy governor and expressed its displeasure at the way it has happened.
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