Governor Umo Eno
By Anietie Akpan
Akwa Ibom state government has announced the immediate release of N4.755 billion for the payment of gratuities, bonuses and others to civil servants in the state.
A press statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Ekerete Udoh, said this action by the state governor, Pastor Umo Eno who authorized the immediate release of the fund, is seen as yet another bold move to keep fulfilling his electioneering campaign promises towards the regular payment of gratuities, the prioritization of the welfare of civil servants in the state, and the passionate commitment to the development of a highly educated and skilled populace, which is a focal point of the Arise Agenda.
The breakdown of the release of these funds, which will help cushion the effect of the current harsh economic situation, is as follows:
*N2.3 billion for the payment of gratuities for retired state civil servants, retired primary school teachers, and retired local government workers.
* N1.1 billion for the one-off payment of Wardrobe Allowance for 20,345 public primary school, technical college, and secondary school teachers.
*N1 billion for the payment of bonuses of N20,000 to each of the 52 thousand public service workers, as announced by the Governor during the recently concluded Public Service Week events.
He said the he Governor has also released the sum of N79 million for the award of full scholarships for four Akwa Ibom indigenes who were recently granted admission to study the Standard Pilot Course and Standard Air Traffic Control Course at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria.
Additionally, N104 million has been released as the first tranche payment of the 2024 primary school teachers’ Leave Grant, and N172 million as a severance gratuity package for Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen of local government councils who served from 2018 to 2022.
The statement by Udoh said, “the release of these funds further deepens the compassionate bonafides of Governor Eno towards the downtrodden, which he had promised to champion”.
Other milestones by the governor include the construction of Arise Compassionate Homes throughout the state, which he is currently being celebrated for, the monthly N50,000 palliative for elderly care throughout the state, the free medical outreach programmes he has been funding, the Arise Free Food Voucher programme executed under the Bulk Purchase Agency.
The N2 billion interest-free loans to traders as well as Arewa, Yoruba, Igbo and Niger Delta communities in the state, the N500,000 grant given to each of the over 800 budding entrepreneurs under the IBOM-LED Entrepreneurship Accelerator Programme (EAP), the payment of bursary and other educational grants, among other infusion of funds towards the expansion of soft infrastructure while also executing bold and audacious hard infrastructure.
