Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has approved a N150,000 Christmas bonus for every civil servant in the state.
The governor said the decision aligns with his administration’s resolve to enhance the welfare of workers, despite the decline in revenue received by the state over the past year.
Nwifuru announced the bonus on Sunday while speaking during a church service at the Government House Chapel in Abakaliki.
On the forthcoming local government elections in Ebonyi State, the governor stated that he has not endorsed any aspirant, assuring that all candidates would be given a level playing field.
“As far as I am concerned, the will of the people must prevail, the people must choose their representatives without interference from any quarter,” he said.
He also reiterated his directive that political appointees who intend to contest the local government elections must resign from their current positions in line with electoral regulations.
“It is not my duty to pick you as chairman of your Local Government Area. If you are contesting for the chairmanship position in next year’s council election as an appointee, you must resign as stipulated by the law.”
Governor Nwifuru further dismissed claims that work on the Vincent Agwu Nwankwo Flyover had slowed down, describing the project as a major undertaking of his administration.
“You cannot find any state in Nigeria that is doing such a flyover currently,” he said, explaining that the nature of the construction involves complex processes which account for the pace of work.
He criticised negative reactions to the project on social media, insisting that the administration is committed to delivering modern infrastructure that will transform the state.
“We are doing it not because we have money, we are doing it because we want to sign our signature in the annals of history,” Nwifuru said.
