Eno doubles down on staff audit as condition for minimum wage

Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has refused to back down on his decision to complete a staff audit before commencing the payment of the new minimum wage, a move that may result in a showdown with Organised Labour.

Governor Eno last month announced N80,000 as a new minimum wage for workers in Akwa Ibom and constituted a committee on consequential adjustment which is submitting its report this month.

Unlike his Rivers State counterpart, Siminalayi Fubara, who approved N85,000 with payment commencing this month (November), Mr Eno later announced that payment of the new minimum wage would not commence until workers’ verification is completed.

However, the Nigeria Labour Congress, at its meeting in Port Harcourt earlier this month, gave state governments a 1 December ultimatum to implement the new minimum wage or face strike, suggesting an imminent clash between labour and some state governors.

The federal government enacted the National Minimum Wage Law in July and subsequently constituted a committee on consequential adjustment.

In September, Mr Eno said he was committed to paying the new wage but was waiting for the federal government to release modalities on consequential adjustment, a condition the federal government had since fulfilled.

However, PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Eno, at a Thanksgiving service last week, said that he can only commence payment after staff verification is completed but gave no specific month of completion of the exercise.

Eno doubles down on staff audit

At a foundation-laying ceremony for Aviation Village at the Victor Attah International Airport in Uyo on Monday, Mr Eno doubled down on his commitment to ensuring a comprehensive audit of staff before commencing payment of the new minimum wage.

Again, Mr Eno cited “Japa Syndrome”, a term used to describe the exodus of Nigerians for a better life abroad, as reasons for his action but gave no date for the completion of the exercise.

“Now, to the (Aviation) workers, I’d like to thank you, the aviation union, for your support. We will continue to work with you and prioritise your welfare. Like you’ve noted, we would pay the 13th month (salary) by the grace of God, and then we will pay the N80,000 minimum wage,” he told the aviation workers who had thanked him for approving their integration into the mainstream civil service.

“Don’t mind all of the propaganda that we are not paying. All I’ve asked for is a comprehensive audit of the people we pay.

“I’m aware that the Japa syndrome has moved many people – they have travelled out of the country and are still earning salaries, and we cannot continue to allow that. So, if the audit is completed today and submitted to me, we start paying. I’m ready to pay. But I must know the people I am paying.

“We must weed out ghost workers,” he said.

“Every staff member will be identified in person, and we have the technology to do that quickly. So, as soon as we finish verification, payment commences. Don’t mind the people who are raising propaganda. I put it on record that I am one of the most worker-friendly governors in this country, and we prioritise workers’ welfare,” Mr Eno said.

Mr Eno further said he would engage a new consultant to handle workers’ payments when the current one finishes the verification exercise.

Speaking further, the governor took a swipe at critics, saying he has never seen critics make progress anywhere in the world.

“I have never seen any critic anywhere in the world make progress. Check all of our critics in this country. I don’t want to mention names. When the opportunity came, and they gave them the mantle of leadership, they failed.

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“We like criticisms, we enjoy them but you cannot be a permanent critic all your life. I challenge those critics to come, and I would give them something to do. Let us taste their ability and see if they will deliver because it is sweet to write with Nokia 9211 but to work is much more difficult than that. We came to serve, and we will deliver.”

Meanwhile, civil servants in the state are currently taking part in the physical verification exercise.

According to a Facebook post, the state Accountant General, Uwem Andrew-Essien, was verified by a verification team on Thursday.