The Bayelsa State Government has disclosed that the implementation of newly approved special allowances for public servants and workers in tertiary institutions will increase its monthly salary expenditure by approximately N3bn beginning in October 2026.
The government said more than N900m would go to workers in tertiary institutions, while the peculiar allowances approved for other categories of public servants would increase the monthly salary bill by approximately N2bn.
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, Timipre Seipolu, Technical Adviser on Treasury, Accounts, and Revenue to Governor Douye Diri, said the new allowances were part of the government’s efforts to improve workers’ welfare and recognise the peculiar demands of different professional groups.
He said, “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 explained that the allowances for tertiary institutions alone would increase the state’s monthly salary expenditure by more than N900m.
He added that other categories of public servants would also benefit from peculiar allowances, which would further increase the wage bill by 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.
He said the increase did not include the outstanding arrears which the government had also undertaken to pay.
The government disclosed that about 65,411 workers were covered by its salary payment arrangements, while assuring that salary obligations remained a major priority in its expenditure profile.
Seipolu also explained that public sector workers in Bayelsa operated different salary structures and allowance arrangements, making it inappropriate to calculate the state’s wage bill using a uniform salary estimate.
He said different categories of workers have distinct salary structures.
According to him, “Doctors, nurses, investigators, civil servants, university employees and fire service personnel have distinct salary structures.”
He explained that some professionals receive additional allowances because of the peculiar nature of their responsibilities.
He said, “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.”
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Information, Orientation and Strategy, Ebiuwou Koku-Obiyai, has dismissed reports alleging that some major government projects had stalled.
She described the reports circulating on social media as misleading, insisting that the projects were progressing according to their respective milestones.
Koku-Obiyai said the government had continued to meet its financial commitments to contractors to ensure the timely completion of ongoing projects.
She said, “Our projects are meeting their respective milestones, with the government meeting its financial commitments to contractors to ensure timely completion.”
The commissioner listed the iconic nine-storey State Secretariat building, the rehabilitation of the “Light Floor” project and the “Lagos Road” project among the major projects progressing in the state.
She maintained that claims about the collapse of some of the projects were contrary to the situation on the ground.
According to her, she and the Commissioner for Works had inspected the Lagos Road project.
She said the inspection was aimed at establishing the actual level of work on the project following reports questioning its progress.
Koku-Obiyai stated, “During the inspection, the Commissioner for Works and I confirmed that the project had reached an advanced stage of implementation.”
She described the construction company as a credible contractor and said the government was satisfied with the progress recorded.
The commissioner urged residents to disregard unverified reports about the projects, stressing that the administration remained committed to completing its infrastructure commitments.
She said the government’s financial commitments to contractors were part of measures to prevent delays and ensure that projects were delivered according to agreed timelines.
