Newsbreak:Lagos civil servants to work 3 days per week

…Sanwo Olu opens Sunday markets for cheaper food

By Ologeh Joseph Chibu

Henceforth, civil servants in Lagos State will now work for only three days a week.

Two days out of the five days a week they will work from home

This is part of the new incentives announced by the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Thursday

The Governor also announced the introduction of Sunday markets where food items will be sold at affordable, subsidised rates to residents of Africa-s fifth largest economy.

The package also included free food, medication and other reliefs for residents.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu spoke on a series of interventions aimed at helping Lagosians deal with the harsh economy in his live broadcast on Thursday.

The State Government said the introduced hybrid work model for civil servants in the state. wherein employees will work from the office three times a week and remotely for the remaining two days will help reduce the cost of transport and other expenses for workers.

There are some 100,000 civil servants in Lagos. The initiative is also expected to reduce the traffic slowdown in Nigeria’s commercial hub

The Governor said “We are seeking to achieve a process where people will slow down, reducing the pressure from the work environment. We don’t want a tired public workforce; let them be able to work remotely.”

He said it will prompt efficiency and reduce the economic pressure on workers.

He said the plan will not disrupt government activities.

He said “We have a lot of online technology that can handle some of the responsibilities that they are doing, and Lagos state has such resources,” he added.

In his words, he said “Lagos is the first to ensure that only pensioners who retired in 2023 are awaiting full payment; everyone else has been cleared. We recognize the vital contribution of our pensioners and affirm our commitment to addressing their financial needs promptly and plans are on-going to clear those outstanding.”

Sanwo-Olu also announced a 25 percent reduction in public transportation fares effective immediately.

The reduction affects all state owned transport services.

He said over 100 trailers of essential food items, including rice, garri, and beans, will be distributed to 300,000 households while 42 Sunday markets will be established across the state to distribute staple foods at reduced prices with a 25 percent rebate but purchases capped at N25,000.

Sanwo Olu said “We are also introducing the ‘soup bowl’ initiative, akin to the soup kitchens implemented during the lockdown, to provide daily meals to residents in need across every local government area for the next 60 days,” Governor Sanwo-Olu explained.

He said the 31 general hospitals in Lagos will offer free child delivery services, including both normal and caesarean births while the cost of essential drugs for hypertension and diabetes will be reduced, with rebates available at healthcare facilities.