Akwa Ibom rewards civil servants with cash gifts

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Uno Eno, has rewarded about 52,000 civil servants with N1.4 billion cash gifts as bonuses to motivate them for effective service delivery.

He announced this at a thanksgiving service marking the end of the 2024 Public Service Week at the International Worship Centre (IWC) in Uyo, the state’s capital.

Expressing appreciation for the harmonious working relationship with his administration, Eno noted that the immense support of the workforce has gone a long in aiding the effective implementation of his administration’s blueprint – the ‘ARISE Agenda’ – hence the reward.

The governor, specifically, commended the integrity, prudence and bridge-building disposition of the Head of Civil Service (HoS), Effiong Essien, whom he described as an honourable public servant.

He directed the Accountant-General of the state to ensure the release and payment of cash as a bonus to each of the 52,000 civil servants across the various tiers of the state government in the first week of July to commemorate the celebration.

Reiterating his call for all hands to be on deck to make Akwa Ibom self-sufficient in food production, Eno recalled the satisfying impression he had when visiting the model farm at Nsit Ibom local government area.

He commended the Hon Otong Aaron-led transition committee and urged others to emulate the worthy example.

He also charged the HoS to put checks in place to discourage the abuse of the monthly farm days declared by the state government for workers to engage in farming, stressing that “if 52,000 workers utilise the work-free days to farm, Akwa Ibom will be better off in terms of food sufficiency.”

In his commitment to human capacity development, the governor said he will soon visit the Civil Service Training Centre (CSTC) to upgrade its facilities to serve his administration’s strong and virile workforce agenda.

He said arrangements for a partnership between IBOM Led and the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) at Badagry, Lagos, are underway to train senior civil servants and acquaint them with modern work tools for greater efficiency.

The HoS commended the governor’s achievements in the last year in office, noting that “the first year of Pastor Umo Eno’s tenure has been exceptionally favourable to Akwa Ibom workers, both serving and retired.”

He expressed joy that despite the tough economic realities, God has helped the civil servants to stay afloat, assuring that the workers would continue to support the governor to succeed.