By Yusuf Olatunji
Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun said that over 1,500 people have so far benefitted from the ongoing surgeries under the Free Surgery Intervention Programme of his administration.
The governor, who disclosed this while monitoring the sale of discounted rice to civil servants at the State Secretariat, Oke-Mosan Abeokuta, on Monday, said that thousands of pregnant women, the aged and the vulnerable have also benefited from the free healthcare services rendered by the state government.
He said that his government will continue to be proactive in addressing the welfare and wellbeing of the people of the state.
He said: "To date, we have done over 1,500 free surgeries. We have provided free healthcare services to our pregnant women, the aged and the very poor and vulnerable.
"We have paid N50,000 to about 80,000 Ogun State students in tertiary institutions across the country. We have also paid N10,000 to over 400,000 indigent students in primary and secondary schools in the state. We have also given them exercise books. All these initiatives are aimed to cushion the effect of this period."
Prince Abiodun, who expressed delight at the orderly manner the exercise was conducted, emphasized that civil servants remain the representatives of a unique and identifiable segment of the society, adding that whatever is done to the workers have direct impact on the society.
"I have come to witness the implementation of this laudable initiatives which is one amongst several initiatives that the state government has put in place to cushion the impact of the inflation that we have experienced in the economy in recent time.
"The unintended consequences of this inflation is what we are trying to mitigate. We are all aware that our indefatigable President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on the assumption of office, took some very decisive steps that had been applauded across the length and breath of the entire world.
"These steps were corrective and proactive to free our economy and reposition our country. The first step was the removal of subsidy on petrol and the second was to allow the Naira to float and today, as difficult as a time it is for us, we all know that there is no gain without pain. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
"As we navigate this painful period, your responsible state government, being mindful of what you are going through, appreciated the fact that we need to ride this storm today began to implement this initiative," the governor noted.
Prince Abiodun urged the people not to lose hope in the country as the economy was gradually picking with the Naira appreciating at an incredible speed, just as the president was concerned about food security in the country.
He noted that the government would soon provide food items at an affordable price while he commended the state's Head of Service (HoS), Mr. Kehinde Onasanya, for making the process fool-proof and payment seamless.
Speaking earlier, the Head of Service, Mr. Onasanya informed the governor that the sales, which started at the weekend, was fool-proof as Directors of Administration and Permanent Secretary of each agency were on the ground to identify their staff before purchase could be made.
He commended the governor for making the food item available for the workers at a reasonable price, saying the gesture would go a long way in mitigating the hardship being experienced in the country.
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