The Bayelsa State Government has said the implementation of newly approved special allowances for public servants and workers in tertiary institutions will increase its monthly salary expenditure by approximately ₦3 billion from October 2026.
The government disclosed that more than ₦900 million would be allocated monthly to workers in tertiary institutions, while peculiar allowances approved for other categories of public servants would add approximately ₦2 billion to the state’s monthly wage bill.
The disclosure was made on Friday during the state’s transparency briefing on its income and expenditure for August and September 2026.
Presenting the financial report, the Technical Adviser on Treasury, Accounts and Revenue to Governor Douye Diri, Timipre Seipolu, said the allowances were part of the government’s efforts to improve workers’ welfare and recognise the specific demands of different professional groups.
“The state has approved special allowances for tertiary institutions, and the payment is commencing from October, even though the government has also committed to paying the arrears from January 2026,” Seipolu said.
He explained that the allowances for tertiary institution workers alone would increase the state’s monthly salary expenditure by more than ₦900 million.
He added that other categories of public servants would benefit from peculiar allowances, further increasing the monthly wage bill by approximately ₦2 billion.
Seipolu noted that the additional expenditure did not include outstanding arrears, which the government had also promised to pay.
The government disclosed that about 65,411 workers were covered by its salary payment arrangements, assuring that meeting salary obligations remained a major priority in its expenditure profile.
According to Seipolu, different professional groups had distinct salary structures and responsibilities that justified the additional allowances.
“Doctors, nurses, investigators, civil servants, university employees and fire service personnel have distinct salary structures,” he said.
He explained that some professionals received additional allowances because of the specific demands and responsibilities associated with their duties.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Information, Orientation and Strategy, Ebiuwou Koku-Obiyai, has dismissed reports alleging that some major government projects in the state had stalled.
Koku-Obiyai described the claims circulating on social media as misleading, insisting that the projects were progressing according to their respective implementation milestones.
She said the government had continued to meet its financial obligations to contractors to ensure the timely completion of ongoing projects.
The commissioner identified the nine-storey State Secretariat building, the rehabilitation of the “Light Floor” project and the “Lagos Road” project as some of the major developments progressing in the state.
She maintained that reports suggesting that some of the projects had collapsed did not reflect the situation on the ground.
Koku-Obiyai disclosed that she had inspected the Lagos Road project alongside the Commissioner for Works to establish its actual level of progress following reports questioning its implementation.
She said the inspection confirmed that the project had reached an advanced stage.
“During the inspection, the Commissioner for Works and I confirmed that the project had reached an advanced stage of implementation,” she said.
