Minimum wage: Akwa Ibom governor postpones payment of new salary to workers and agrees

• Civil servants in Akwa Ibom State will have to wait longer to benefit from the new minimum wage of 80,000 naira.
• Governor Umo Eno postponed implementation of 80,000 new minimum wages until worker checks are completed
• The governor said a number of civil servants have moved to Nigeria while others have gone abroad.

Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 5 years of experience covering the metro, government politics and international events.

Uyo, Akwa Ibom State – Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has postponed the implementation of a new minimum wage of 80,000 for workers in the state.

Legitime.ng recalls that Uno announced a new minimum wage of N80,000 for state government employees.

Why Akwa Ibom postponed the implementation of the minimum wage

Recently, Governor Eno said that civil servants will not benefit from the new minimum wage until personnel audits are completed.

The governor said this while speaking at a church service in Uyo on Sunday, November 17.

According to Premium Times, Eno justified the delay in commencing payment of the new minimum wage of 80,000 naira to workers.

“I am aware that a number of our civil servants have moved to Nigeria while others have gone abroad. We need to ensure that those receiving payments are genuine public servants.”

Eno’s spokesperson, Ekerete Udoh, quoted the governor as saying in a statement:

“My watchword since taking office has been transparency and honesty in service delivery and we must ensure that we implement this through this verification exercise, which will soon be completed.”

Akwa Ibom workers to receive one month extra salary

The governor, who did not specify when the minimum wage arrears will be paid, proposed paying civil servants a 13th month’s salary by next month.

States have not yet approved new workers’ wages

In the meantime, Legitime.ng said not all civil servants in the 36 states of the federation have started receiving the new minimum wage of N70,000.

At least six states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have failed to approve the minimum wage for workers.

The states responsible for non-implementation of the new minimum wage are Zamfara, Sokoto, Osun, Cross River, Imo, Plateau and the FCT.

Source: Legit.ng