The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has explained why the federal government of Nigeria decided to pay salaries before the commencement of the election.
Briefing State House correspondents on the outcome of the meeting of the Federal Executive Council which was presided over by President Buhari at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Mohammed said that the payment was to enable workers wishing to travel for Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly election to do so without any difficulties.
Speaking with journalists after the FEC meeting, the minister disclosed that already the relevant authorities had been directed to commence the payment of the salaries to the federal workers from February 19. According to him, this is to enable the civil servants planning to travel for the elections to do so before Saturday.
“On the part of the Federal Government also, we decided that to make it easy for those who will want to go back to vote, salary payment started yesterday (Tuesday) as opposed to the normal 25th of every month. This is just to ease the burden of people who want to go back and cast their vote,’’ he said.
The minister added that the council deliberated and reviewed some of the palliatives put in place to help people return to cast their votes. He said the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, with a membership of about 50,000 had agreed to cushion the effect of the postponement by reducing the price of petrol from N145 to 140 from February 21 to 25.
The minister said the National Union of Road Transport Workers with about two million members and operates motor parks in all the 774 local government areas across the country had offered to provide a discount to travellers.
“This discount is also to encourage voters who would have normally been disenfranchised as a result of INEC’s postponement. This discount is also valid between February 21 and 25. Arik and Aero airlines have also thrown in their own incentives. Aero contractors have offered a 50 per cent discount to all travellers who present their Permanent Voters Card at the purchasing point.
“Arik will be selling their one-way ticket at N16,000 to any destination across the country. This is to support Nigerians looking to travel to cast their vote. The discount is valid between the 18th of February and the 11th of March. All these are aimed at encouraging voters who might have been disenfranchised by the postponement,” he said.
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