The Ebonyi State Government has approved an upward review of the minimum wage for civil servants, raising it from ₦70,000 to ₦90,000 with immediate effect.
The Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Chief Ikeuwa Omebe, announced the decision on Thursday while briefing journalists on the outcome of the State Executive Council (EXCO) meeting.
Omebe explained that the increment was designed to improve workers’ welfare and would apply across all categories of the state workforce.
“We want to state categorically that this is not a political statement, as this government does not toy with workers’ welfare,” he stressed.
The commissioner also disclosed that the government had cleared pension and gratuity arrears of state retirees dating back to 1996. He added that a verification exercise for local government retirees was currently underway, after which payments would also be made.
Omebe emphasised that if the government could settle such long-standing obligations, it would not politicise the additional ₦20,000 wage increase.
He further revealed that the EXCO had approved the implementation of the eight-year tenure policy for directors, leading to the immediate retirement of permanent secretaries and directors who had reached the maximum period on their current cadre.
