…Say Increase In Pension By N32,000, A Big Relief To Pensioners
By Ossom Asaka
UYO
Workers in the employ of Akwa Ibom State government have applauded Gov Umo Eno for approving full implementation of the N80,000 new minimum wage in the state.
Similarly, the workers have given the governor a pat on back for also increasing the monthly pension of all pensioners in the state by N32,000, a gesture they said will go a long way to bring succour to many homes in the state occasioned by the present harsh economic situation in the country.
The workers who spoke with The Pioneer during a survey recently, thanked Governor Eno for his magnanimity and friendly disposition towards workers in the state and prayed God to sustain him for more laudable achievements.
Mr Ubong Obong-Uko, a senior lecturer with the Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Osurua, Ikot Ekpene, noted that the latest approval by the governor will gradually improve the living standard of most families in the state considering the fact that most homes in the state are dependent on the civil service for survival.
ObongUko, who is the current head, Department of Artificial Intelligence, lauded Eno for being a listening leader and for his compassionate nature and urged workers in the state to reciprocate the gesture by showing more commitment and dedication to their assigned duties.
“The approval by the governor is a welcomed development as it will go a long way to alleviate the ongoing hardship being experienced by many homes in the state.”
With this latest approval, the governor has written his name in gold in the hearts of workers and has moved a step further to prove that he is a labour-friendly governor.
“It is hoped that workers on their part will reciprocate this gesture by being more committed and dedicated to their duties,” ObongUko stated.
He urged the governor to continue with his humane style of governance, assuring that posterity will not forget him for being a leader who came in and gave meaning to the lives of his subjects and others resident in the state.
“From the many positive things Governor Eno has done since assumption of office ranging from the accreditation of more courses at the Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Osurua, intervention in roads, infrastructure and recently full implementation of the new minimum wage, there is no doubt that the governor is a good man.”
“As if this was not enough, the governor also went a step further to increase the pension of all retirees by N32,000. Truth be told, this gesture can only come from a man who has the interest of his people at heart. God will surely bless Governor Eno for running a government with a human face,” ObongUko stated.
In his submission, Mr Celestine Udofia, a staff of the Ministry of Agriculture in the state, gave kudos to the state governor for signing the new minimum wage in the state, adding that it takes a man with a good heart to show such gesture to his people.
“I am not alone in this show of gratitude to our governor over the recent approval for full implementation of the minimum wage in the state. The development will help reduce the current hardship in the land and life will be made more meaningful”.
It is our prayers as workers the government will ensure prompt payment of salaries and pensions henceforth, Udofia stated.
Udofia who said he has saved the state as a civil servant for 20 years, urged the governor to remain focused on his determination to better the lots of Akwa Ibom people through good governance, adding that the governor’s effort at offsetting the backlog of gratuities was commendable.
Mr Ubong Weston Dennis described the minimum wage implementation in the state as a timely intervention by the governor to help alleviate the suffering caused by the present hardship in the country.
“There is no doubt that times are hard and civil servants are one of the worst hit by the ongoing hardship in the land.
“With the school fees to pay, many mouths to feed, hospital bills, house rent and other basic needs, an average civil servant finds it very difficult to maintain a home, but thank God for our governor who has risen to the occasion by approving the implementation of the new minimum wage regime in the state. It is hoped that this development will bring succour to many homes”, Dennis stated.
Dennis who is a lecturer in the Department of Adult and Non-formal Education, College of Education, Afaha Nsit, lauded the governor’s gesture even as he also made case for other positive government interventions in the education sector, health, food sufficiency, among others, to make life more meaningful in the state.
The College of Education lecturer who described Governor Eno as a leader with milk of human kindness expressed optimism that with the full implementation of the new minimum wage, workers in the state would face their work with a renewed vigor and the zeal to deliver on all assigned mandates.
Others who also bared their minds on the new minimum wage implementation in the state, among them, Mr Etebong Akpan of the Ministry of Finance; Mrs Gloria Usoro, a staff of the Hospital Management Board; Mr Kingsley Bassey of the Ministry of Education and Mrs Idongesit Asaka of the Ministry of Science and Technology, applauded Governor Eno for again rising in support of workers’ welfare in the state.
They urged the governor to continue in his friendly disposition towards the workers and their welfare even as they also prayed God to continue to protect the governor to enable him do more for the state and its people.
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