What do you believe is the single most important factor driving up the cost of living in Nigeria?

A total of 219 employees from 21 government agencies lost their jobs on September 30 as the Rationalisation of Agencies and Public Expenditure (RAPEX) exercise commenced, with these agencies being reintegrated into their respective ministries.

These agencies are part of 60 semi-autonomous entities the Cabinet approved for either merger, reintegration into their mother ministries, or transfer of functions to other entities.

The government has allocated Shs73.6 billion to cover pensions, gratuities, and severance packages for 2,500 employees affected across all 60 agencies.

Ms Allen Kakama, the commissioner of Management Services at the Ministry of Public Service, told Monitor that Shs29.1 billion had been set aside for the first batch of employees from 21 agencies.

“We calculated very well to see how many employees might not be absorbed and how much we would need to pay. That is the Shs73.6 billion for pensions, gratuities, and severance packages,” she said.

• Read More