Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, has approved the implementation of a new minimum wage of ₦80,000 for civil servants in the state.
According to a statement released in Uyo on Tuesday by his spokesperson, Ekerete Udoh, the payment will commence at the end of January and will be backdated to November 2024.
The adjustment will affect 45,000 verified civil servants.
The announcement followed the submission of a report by the Committee on the Implementation of the New Minimum Wage/Personnel Verification, chaired by the Head of Service, Effiong Essien.
Governor Eno, while receiving the report at Government House, Uyo, expressed gratitude to the committee for their diligent work and urged them to extend the verification process to pension schemes for retired workers.
“Let me thank the Committee for taking the time to deliver on this assignment. As I receive this report today, my understanding is that before now, we had a staff strength of 55,120. Out of that, 52,177 persons turned out for the verification exercise, so we still have an outstanding of 2,943 personnel who did not show up while 6,193 have issues with their verification,” the governor stated.
He directed the Office of the Accountant General, Auditor General, and Director of Budget to finalize preparations for the payment.
“For those who have been cleared—about 45,984 of them—we should be ready to pay the minimum wage at the end of this month, effective from November 1, 2024,” he added.
Eno emphasized his administration’s commitment to the welfare of civil servants, describing them as a critical part of the state’s workforce.
“The Civil Service forms a critical mass of employees in our state government. Since we came on board, their welfare has remained a key priority, and we will continue to do so. I believe this will help ameliorate the harsh economic environment we have found ourselves in, and I hope, by the grace of God, slowly, we will find our way out of it very soon,” he said.
The governor also granted a 30-day extension for unverified workers to complete the process, warning that failure to comply would result in the cessation of their salaries.
He also noted the recommendation for annual verification exercises, which he accepted, and announced plans to extend the process to pension payments to address potential irregularities.
The Committee on the Minimum Wage Implementation, established in December 2024, comprises key stakeholders, including the Head of Service, representatives from various state commissions and ministries, labour union leaders, and other officials.
Eno commended their efforts, highlighting the government’s progress in settling over ₦47 billion of a ₦97 billion gratuity backlog since 2012 and reiterated his administration’s commitment to fostering productive government-labor relations.
