By Ogenyi Ogenyi, Uyo
Governor Umo Eno has approved the payment of a new minimum wage of N80,000 to 45,000 verified public service workers in Akwa Ibom State. This follows the submission of the report by the Committee on the Implementation of the New Minimum Wage and Personnel Verification.
Speaking in Uyo yesterday, the governor announced that the new wage will take effect at the end of this month, with arrears retroactively paid from November 2024. He also directed the committee to extend similar verification efforts to the state’s pension schemes.
“Let me thank the committee for diligently completing this assignment. According to the report, the state initially had a staff strength of 55,120. Out of this, 52,177 personnel participated in the verification exercise, leaving 2,943 unaccounted for. Additionally, 6,193 workers had verification issues,” the governor said.
Governor Eno stated that 45,984 verified workers are eligible for the new minimum wage, and their payments will commence this month.
“I will forward this report to the Office of the Accountant General, the Auditor General, and the Director of Budget to prepare the necessary documentation for implementation. The civil service forms a critical part of our state government, and since my administration began, their welfare has remained a priority.
“This increase will help ease the economic challenges we face. By God’s grace, we will gradually overcome these difficulties,” he added.
Grace Period for Unverified Workers
The governor announced an additional 30-day grace period for workers who have not completed their verification. He warned that failure to comply within this period would result in their removal from the payroll.
“For those yet to be verified, we are giving 30 more days to complete the process. After this deadline, anyone still unverified will no longer be considered a civil servant, and their salaries will be stopped,” he warned.
Collaboration with Organized Labour
Governor Eno called on organized labour in the state to continue collaborating with the government. He highlighted his administration’s efforts to foster positive government-labour relations, including paying over N47 billion in gratuities from the N97 billion backlog inherited from 2012, as well as providing palliatives for workers.
“We all have a responsibility to Akwa Ibom State. We have made significant progress in improving the welfare of workers and clearing outstanding gratuities,” he said.
Annual Verification and Pension Audits
The governor accepted the committee’s recommendation to make the verification exercise an annual event. He also extended the committee’s mandate to include auditing pension payments.
“If this level of irregularity can exist among serving personnel, it is likely worse among pensioners, including cases where deceased individuals are still being paid. We need to address this quickly,” he said.
The Committee on the Implementation of the New Minimum Wage was established by Governor Eno in December 2024 to oversee the smooth rollout of the N80,000 minimum wage. The committee is chaired by the Head of Service, Mr. Effiong Essien.
