FCT Considers Palliative Measures to Cushion Fuel Subsidy Removal

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, Nyesom Wike, has said that the FCT Administration is carefully considering the most effective palliative measures to provide to the residents in the nation's capital city to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal. With the N5 billion palliative received from the Federal Government, Wike stated that transportation and food supplies support are being considered as possible means to alleviate the impact faced by the residents.

It was earlier announced by the Federal Government that N5 billion palliative packages would be provided to each state of the federation, including the FCT, to mitigate the consequences of the removal of subsidy on the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol or fuel. Some states have already commenced the distribution of the palliative, having received N2 billion in cash and food items.

During a closed-door meeting with contractors handling different projects in the FCT, Wike highlighted that the FCT was initially excluded from the N5 billion palliative until he wrote a memo informing President Bola Tinubu about the situation. President Tinubu subsequently approved the amount, and Wike expressed confidence that the FCT would receive the remaining N3 billion soon.

Regarding the utilization of the N2 billion palliative already received, Wike mentioned that the FCT administration is yet to determine the specific area to focus on. However, he emphasized that food support and transportation are of paramount importance. Providing easy and accessible transportation for the residents is vital, as well as addressing their immediate food needs.

"Are we going to concentrate on food, but we are thinking that the issue of transportation is very, very important, particularly the urban mass transit. People would like to have easy transportation to go to where they want to go, and if you give them rice and they eat the rice today, what about transportation tomorrow?" Wike commented.

The FCT administration is keen on ensuring that the palliative measures make a significant impact on the affected residents, and thus, they are actively evaluating the most effective ways to allocate and utilize the funds.

Source of content: OOO News 2023-08-29 News

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