The Bayelsa State Government has approved special allowances for public servants and workers in tertiary institutions, a move expected to increase its monthly salary expenditure by about ₦3 billion from October 2026.
The government said more than ₦900 million would be spent monthly on allowances for tertiary institution workers, while another ₦2 billion would cover additional allowances for other categories of public servants.
The disclosure was made earlier today, October 30, 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 approved to improve workers’ welfare and recognise the demands of different professions.
He said payment would commence in October, adding that the government had also committed to clearing outstanding arrears dating back to January 2026.
“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 allowances for other public servants would increase the state’s monthly salary expenditure by about ₦2 billion, bringing the total additional cost to approximately ₦3 billion.
“That alone will increase our monthly salary by about ₦2 billion. So, these two components alone will increase the state’s monthly salary bill by about ₦3 billion, commencing from October 2026,” he stated.
Seipolu disclosed that about 65,411 workers were covered by the state’s salary payment arrangements, noting that different professional groups had separate salary structures and allowance systems.
He listed doctors, nurses, investigators, civil servants, university employees and fire service personnel among the categories covered by the arrangements.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Information, Orientation and Strategy, Ebiuwou Koku-Obiyai, dismissed reports alleging that some major government projects had stalled.
She said the nine-storey State Secretariat building, the rehabilitation of the Light Floor project and the Lagos Road project were progressing according to schedule.
Koku-Obiyai added that she and the Commissioner for Works had inspected the Lagos Road project and confirmed that construction had reached an advanced stage.
She urged residents to disregard unverified reports, insisting that the government was meeting its financial obligations to contractors to ensure the timely completion of ongoing infrastructure projects.
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