Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has authorised the release of N4.755 billion to benefit civil servants, teachers, and students.
The funds will be used to pay gratuities, wardrobe allowances, bonuses and scholarships, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Ekerete Udoh, disclosed in a statement on Thursday.
In the breakdown, Udoh said ₦2.3 billion for the payment of gratuities for retired state civil servants, retired primary school teachers, and retired local government workers.
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₦1.1 billion for the one-off payment of wardrobe allowance for 20,345 public primary school, technical college, and secondary school teachers.
Then ₦1 billion for the payment of bonuses (₦20,000) to each of the 52,000 public service workers, as announced by the governor during the recently concluded Public Service Week events.
Udoh noted that Governor Eno has also released the sum of ₦79 million for the award of full scholarships for four Akwa Ibom indigenes who were recently granted admission to study the Standard Pilot Course and Standard Air Traffic Control Course at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria.
“Additionally, ₦104 million has been released as the first tranche payment of the 2024 primary school teachers’ Leave Grant, and ₦172 million as a severance gratuity package for Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen of local government councils who served from 2018- 2022,” Udoh added.
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He stated that the release of funds is in line with Governor Eno’s campaign promises to prioritise the welfare of civil servants and invest in education.
The Chief Press Secretary added that the construction of Arise Compassionate Homes throughout the state, which he is currently being celebrated for, the monthly 50 thousand Naira palliative for elderly care throughout the state, the free medical outreach programmes he has been funding, the Arise Free Food Voucher programme executed under the Bulk Purchase Agency.
Udoh also noted the₦2 billion interest-free loans to traders as well as Arewa, Yoruba, Igbo and Niger Delta communities in the state, the ₦500,000 grant given to each of the over 800 budding entrepreneurs under the IBOM-LED Entrepreneurship Accelerator Programme (EAP).
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“The payment of bursary and other educational grants, among other infusion of funds towards the expansion of soft infrastructure while also executing bold and audacious hard infrastructure, define Governor Eno as a man who has kept faith with his campaign promises.”
