Poll’s shift: Fed Govt orders payment of February salary

The Federal Government yesterday ordered the immediate payment of February salaries to enable workers wishing to travel to vote in the rescheduled Presidential and National Assembly election on Saturday.

Information, Culture & Tourism Minister Lai Mohammed broke the news to reporters after yesterday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to him, the payment of February salaries to federal workers began on Tuesday.

The early payment, he said is “to ease the burden off civil servants planning to travel for the elections”.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) postponed the election billed for last Saturday by a week.

Many, who travelled to their voting destinations, were forced to return to their bases and there is fear among the populace that many will not return.

The minister, who said the FEC discussed the issue, said that it also 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 (IPMAN), with a membership of about 50,000 and “who controls 80 per cent of petroleum sector distribution has agreed to cushion the effect of the postponement by reducing the price of pump price of petrol from N145 to 140 from February 21st to 25th”.

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The minister said the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), who has about two million members and operates motor parks in all the 774 local government areas across the country, has offered to provide discount to travellers using their motor parks.

He said: “All these are aimed at encouraging voters who might have been disenfranchised by the postponement.”

The minister also said that as part of the incentives, two airlines – Aero Contractors and Arik Air – are offering discounted fares to passengers.

Aero, Mohammed said, is offering a 50 per cent discount to all travellers who present their Permanent Voters Card (PVC), at the point of purchase. Arik has slashed the price of their tickets to N16, 000 to all destinations across the country from February 18 to 11 March 11.

Asked if FEC backed President’s directives to security agencies to shoot ballot box snatchers, he said “Absolutely. I mean if you want to intimidate voters to steal the mandate of the people, you should be able to face the wrath of the law.”

Budget & National Planning Minister Udoma Udo Udoma disclosed that the Council was briefed about the fourth quarter report of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), describing the report as encouraging.