By Anthony Chukwuemeka Eri
In a bid to mitigate the impact of the recent fuel subsidy removal, Anambra State Governor Prof. Charles Soludo has announced a series of palliative measures.
The measures include:
1. A 10% salary increase for all public servants and pensioners in the state.
2. A monthly flat non-taxable cash award of N12,000 for every pensioner and public servant in the state for the period September 2023 to December 2023.
3. Distribution of rice to over 300,000 households in the state.
4. Tax exemptions/reductions for hawkers, wheelbarrow and truck pushers, vulcanizers, artisans, okada drivers, petty traders, and transporters.
5. Free antenatal services and free delivery services for pregnant mothers in state primary health centers and general hospitals.
6. Repair/renovation of all serviceable Public Servants Staff Buses currently under the office of the Head of Service of Anambra State.
7. Application to purchase CNG-fueled buses for intra-state transportation.
8. Repair of existing and purchase of new water boats to ease transportation for citizens in the riverine local governments.
In the medium to long term, the governor also announced plans to:
9. Distribute one million oil palm and coconut seedlings per annum to over 100,000 households.
10. Establish a new industrial complex to process the products, thereby creating more jobs for youths.
11. Energize the One Youth Two Skills program by providing a mix of grant and soft loan schemes at a maximum interest rate of 9% per annum.
12. Complete the set-up and funding of the Ward-based Cooperative Initiative for micro-enterprises.
13. Roll out a very ambitious program to build/modernize the primary health centers (PHCs) in all the 326 wards.
14. Construct over 340km of roads across all the twenty-one local governments.
15. Improve the Ease of Doing Business in Anambra to attract private sector investment into the state.
Governor Soludo said that the palliative measures are aimed at cushioning the impact of the fuel subsidy removal on the people of Anambra State.
