The Delta State Government has defended its proposed N5bn ward empowerment programme and 13th-month salary for public servants, saying the initiatives are aimed at improving residents’ purchasing power and stimulating economic activities.
The Commissioner for Works, Rural Roads and Public Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, stated this during a media briefing in Asaba on Friday while explaining how the government planned to sustain the programmes.
Aniagwu said the government was being deliberate in ensuring that its reforms produced practical benefits for residents, particularly those operating petty businesses and other small-scale enterprises.
He said the 13th-month salary, which would be equal to a worker’s December salary, was an additional payment and not a replacement for the regular December salary.
According to him, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori had also signed an Executive Bill seeking to give the payment legal backing and ensure that it continued beyond the current administration.
“It is not a flash in the pan,” Aniagwu said, adding that the state government had demonstrated its capacity to manage its resources and sustain workers’ welfare.
The commissioner said the state’s internally generated revenue had risen from about N75bn in 2023 to over N204bn annually, adding that further investments were expected to increase the revenue base.
He said increased government spending would stimulate businesses because workers and beneficiaries would spend the money within their communities.
“If you put money in the hands of the people, they will spend that money. When they spend the money, businesses will grow, and when businesses grow, they pay taxes,” he said.
On the ward empowerment programme, Aniagwu said it would be implemented through councillors because they were closer to the people and understood the needs of residents in their respective wards.
He said each councillor had been directed to identify and empower 200 people in the ward with N50,000 each, amounting to about N10m per ward.
With about 500 wards across the state, Aniagwu said the intervention could inject about N5bn into local communities.
He said the beneficiaries would be identified through community stakeholders, religious organisations and other local structures to ensure that the support reached people who genuinely needed it.
The commissioner said the programme was targeted at petty traders, farmers and other people involved in small-scale economic activities.
Aniagwu also rejected suggestions that the empowerment programme and other interventions were aimed at influencing voters ahead of the 2027 elections.
“We are being very intentional in ensuring that the reforms produce practical benefits, especially in enhancing the purchasing power of our people,” he said.
He said the interventions were also part of the state government’s response to the economic challenges created by the removal of fuel subsidy.
Aniagwu said the government was trying to ensure that some of the benefits of its reforms reached residents through direct interventions.
He added that the state was investing in school renovations, infrastructure, salaries, pensions and other programmes intended to improve living conditions.
On concerns about the sustainability of the 13th-month salary, Aniagwu said increased economic activity and investment would help expand the state’s revenue.
He cited the Kwale Free Trade Zone and other investments as areas expected to create jobs, increase business activities and broaden the state’s tax base.
“We expect that as more people are paid, there will be more economic activities. There will be more patronage of businesses, and that will translate to more revenue,” he said.
Aniagwu acknowledged that many residents were still facing economic difficulties but said the government believed increased purchasing power would help households cope with rising prices.
He added that more interventions were expected in the coming weeks, with the government targeting the circulation of several billions of naira within local communities.
