President Muhammadu Buhari has approved an additional N8.9 billion for COVID-19 hazard allowances for all health workers in Nigeria. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, made this known at the bi-weekly Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 (PTF) briefing on Thursday.
He said the procurement of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for hospitals and isolation centres will also be prioritised moving forward. “I am pleased to announce that Mr President has graciously approved additional N8.9bn for COVID-19 hazard allowance to all medical health workers. In addition, the procurement of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for hospitals and isolation centres will be given priority,” Mr Mustapha said.
Hazard pay, a wage supplement paid to workers who do dangerous jobs, has been at the centre of the grouse of Nigerian health workers since the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic.
Health workers, being the first respondents to patients, face exposure to the coronavirus and as a result, more than a thousand have tested positive for COVID-19.
