Bayelsa approves special workers’ allowances expected to raise monthly salary spending by about N3bn from October 2026.

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 approximately N3bn from October 2026.

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The government disclosed the increase during its transparency briefing on revenue and expenditure for August and September, held on Friday, October 30.

Presenting the financial report, the Technical Adviser on Treasury, Accounts and Revenue to Governor Douye Diri, Timipre Seipolu, said more than N900m would be spent monthly on allowances for workers in tertiary institutions, while other categories of public servants would receive additional payments costing about N2bn monthly.

He explained that the government had approved the allowances as part of efforts to improve workers’ welfare and recognise the different responsibilities and demands associated with various professions.

“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 added that the allowances for tertiary institution employees would increase the monthly salary bill by more than N900m, while the additional payments for other public servants would account for approximately N2bn.

“That alone will increase our monthly salary by about N2bn. So, these two components alone will increase the state’s monthly salary bill by about N3bn, commencing from October 2026,” he stated.

The increase does not include the outstanding arrears the government has also undertaken to pay, meaning the financial commitment will extend beyond the new monthly payments.

Seipolu disclosed that approximately 65,411 workers were covered by the state’s salary payment arrangements.

He described salary obligations as a major priority in the government’s expenditure profile.

He also cautioned against estimating the state’s total wage bill by applying a single salary figure to all public servants, explaining that different professional groups operate under distinct salary structures and allowance arrangements.

Doctors, nurses, investigators, civil servants, university employees and fire service personnel, he noted, have different remuneration structures, with some receiving additional payments because of the nature of their duties.

“It is not appropriate to estimate the state’s total wage bill by simply multiplying the number of workers across the different categories by a uniform salary figure,” he said.

At the same briefing, the Commissioner for Information, Orientation and Strategy, Ebiuwou Koku-Obiyai, dismissed social media reports alleging that some major government projects had stalled.

She maintained that the projects were progressing according to their respective milestones and said the government had continued to meet its financial commitments to contractors to support timely completion.

Among the projects she identified were the nine-storey State Secretariat building, the rehabilitation of the Light Floor project and the Lagos Road project.

Koku-Obiyai said she had inspected the Lagos Road project alongside the Commissioner for Works following questions about its progress. According to her, the inspection showed that construction had reached an advanced stage.

She described the construction company handling the project as credible and said the administration was satisfied with the progress recorded.

“Our projects are meeting their respective milestones, with the government meeting its financial commitments to contractors to ensure timely completion,” she said.

The commissioner urged residents to disregard reports she described as unverified, reiterating the government’s commitment to completing its infrastructure projects within agreed timelines.

The latest briefing provided an account of the administration’s stated commitments on workers’ remuneration and infrastructure spending.

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The additional monthly salary expenditure of about N3bn, alongside the promised arrears, represents a significant recurring and backdated financial obligation for the state.