Palliatives: Benue students to get free WAEC, NECO registration-Gov. Alia
Benue State Government has unveiled plans for the disbursement of the N5 billion given by the Federal Government to cushion the negative effects of subsidy removal on the citizens.
The state governor, Rev Fr. Hyacinth Alia, made this known during the flag off of the distribution of relief materials to victims of the 2022 flood disaster in Makurdi.
He pointed out that the state government has received N2 billion out of the money allocated to the state and is expecting the next tranche of palliatives to mitigate the effects of the subsidy removal.
Rev Fr. Alia further disclosed that the state government would use part of the funds to register students of government secondary schools for the West African Examination Council (WAEC) and National Examination Council (NECO) examinations for the 2023/2024 academic year.
The Benue State governor also said that the fund will be deployed to provide intensive computer and ICT training for 2000 youths of the state to enable them acquire jobs.
Rev Fr. Alia stated that the planned intervention will provide grants to 5,000 women in the state based on the revised social register of the women cooperatives.
He noted that because of the hardship commuters are facing in the state due to subsidy removal he will use the palliatives to purchase 100 new buses for the state-owned transport company, Benue Links, as well as provide shuttle buses in the three major towns of Makurdi, Gboko, and Otukpo to ease movement.
According to the governor, other areas where the funds would be expended are for the payment of one month pension arrears to state and local government retirees and the provision of food items like rice in large quantities to each of the 23 local government areas in the state, among other things.
The Benue state governor expressed the belief that the remaining part of the money will be released to the state government coffers soon.
He therefore called on Benue people to be patient as the government will soon start implementing the mentioned plans to cushion the effects of subsidy removal.
