YENAGOA, NIGERIA — The Bayelsa State Government has disclosed that the implementation of newly approved special allowances for public servants and tertiary institution staff will increase its monthly salary expenditure by approximately ₦3 billion, effective October 2026.
Under the new compensation arrangement, over ₦900 million will go directly to workers in state-owned tertiary institutions, while peculiar allowances approved for other categories of public servants will add approximately ₦2 billion to the state’s monthly wage bill.
The breakdown was disclosed on Friday, October 30, 2026, during the state’s monthly transparency briefing detailing income and expenditure for August and September 2026 in Yenagoa.
Presenting the financial report, Timipre Seipolu, Technical Adviser on Treasury, Accounts, and Revenue to Governor Douye Diri, stated that the allowances form part of the government’s commitment to worker welfare and acknowledging the specific demands of different professional groups across the workforce.
”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 stated. “That alone will increase our monthly salary by about ₦2bn. So, these two components alone will increase the state’s monthly salary bill by about ₦3bn, commencing from October 2026.”
Seipolu emphasized that the ₦3 billion figure represents the recurring monthly increase and does not include the accumulated arrears from January 2026, which the government has also pledged to pay.
65,411 Workers Covered Across Varied Salary Structures
The government revealed that 65,411 workers are currently covered under the state’s payroll, reaffirming that salary obligations remain a top priority in its expenditure profile.
Clarifying public misconceptions regarding the overall wage bill, Seipolu explained that state public sector employees operate under diverse salary frameworks, making uniform wage calculations inaccurate.
”Doctors, nurses, investigators, civil servants, university employees, and fire service personnel have distinct salary structures,” Seipolu explained. “Some professionals receive additional allowances because of the peculiar nature of their responsibilities. 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.”
Information Commissioner Dismisses Stalled Project Claims
In a related briefing, the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Information, Orientation, and Strategy, Ebiuwou Koku-Obiyai, addressed reports circulating on social media alleging that several major state development projects had stalled.
Dismissing the claims as misleading, Koku-Obiyai maintained that key infrastructure projects were progressing steadily according to scheduled milestones, backed by prompt government payments to contractors.
”Our projects are meeting their respective milestones, with the government meeting its financial commitments to contractors to ensure timely completion,” Koku-Obiyai noted.
She highlighted flagship projects actively moving forward, including the iconic nine-storey State Secretariat building, the rehabilitation of the ‘Light Floor’ project, and the Lagos Road project, assuring citizens that work remains on track across the state.
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