The Ebonyi State Government, under Governor Francis Nwifuru, has announced an increase in the minimum wage of state civil servants from N70,000 to N90,000.
The disclosure was made on Thursday by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Chief Ikeuwa Omebe, during a briefing with journalists on the outcome of the State Executive Council (EXCO) meeting.
Omebe explained that the increment was aimed at improving workers’ welfare, adding that the new wage takes effect immediately and applies to all categories of the state workforce.
“We want to state categorically that this is not a political statement, as this government does not toy with workers’ welfare.
The government has offset the pension and gratuities of state retirees from its creation in 1996 to date.
The verification process for retirees in the Local Government Areas had commenced, and when completed, the payment will be made,” he said.
Omebe further noted that the government’s commitment to financial obligations demonstrates sincerity and consistency in policies.
“If the government did not play politics with such huge financial obligations, it would not do so with an additional N20,000 to workers.
The governor is a leader, builder of capacity, human beings, and infrastructure.The government is anchored on the biblical people’s charter of needs mantra, which is leading the people according to their needs,” the commissioner said.
He also revealed that the EXCO deliberated on implementing the eighth-year tenure policy for directors, which mandates the immediate retirement of those who have served in the same cadre for the specified period.
“The EXCO exhaustively deliberated on the issue and approved its implementation for the affected permanent secretaries and directors,” he added.
Meanwhile, IntelRegion reports that on Tuesday, August 26, Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma also increased the minimum wage for state civil servants to N104,000.
During a meeting with the state labour force at the Government House in Owerri, Uzodimma announced further salary increments:
- Monthly pay for medical doctors in the state civil service has been raised to N533,000.
- For lecturers in state-owned tertiary institutions, the new entry-level salary will be N222,000.
Governor Uzodimma explained that the wage review was enabled by an increase in the state’s internally generated revenue and a rise in federal allocations.
