Akwa Ibom State Government through the ingenuity of Governor Udom Emmanuel may have become the first state in Nigeria to pay the April salary of all its workers despite the global economic and health crisis.
The payment of salaries before the 24th day of the month, accordingly affirms the Governor’s vow to always make the welfare of workers his top priority, even in challenging economic circumstances.
The state it will be recalled was among the first to pay its workers the new minimum wage salary with effect from December 2019.
A Grade Level 9 worker in the state Ministry of Agriculture, Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Mrs Arit Akpan told our reporter she was pleasantly surprised to see the salary alert on her phone.
“With the economy of the country nearly brought to a standstill and a deliberate lockdown policy to control the spread of the Coronavirus disease, it had been feared that payment of workers salaries would be delayed especially since we had done virtually nothing than stay at home with our families for most of April. May God bless our dear Governor for his deep commitment to the welfare of the workers” she added.
Governor Emmanuel has always displayed a passionate interest in the welfare and wellbeing of workers, a gesture which was clearly seen when on assumption of office in 2015 he cleared the backlog of salary arrears of workers, up to ten years.
Even with the challenging times we are faced with, Governor Emmanuel has given food relief to all the over 300 villages in the state, to cushion the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic- a gesture that has been lauded and celebrated by the people of the state.