Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has approved a N150,000 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) Christmas bonus for every civil servant in the state.
The governor explained that the gesture aligns with his administration’s commitment to improving the welfare of civil servants despite dwindling revenue accruing to the state in the past year.
He spoke on Sunday during a church service at the Government House Chapel, Abakaliki.
On the forthcoming local government elections in the state, the governor said he has not anointed any candidate, promising a level playing field for all aspirants.
“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.
The governor renewed his directive to political appointees wishing to contest the local government elections to resign in line with electoral guidelines.
“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 elections as an appointee, you must resign as stipulated by law,” he said.
Nwifuru also dismissed rumours of stagnation in the construction of the Vincent Agwu Nwankwo Flyover (VANCO), describing it as a monumental infrastructural project of his administration.
“You cannot find any state in Nigeria currently undertaking such a flyover,” he said, explaining the construction rigours involved in the massive project, which he noted would transform the state when completed.
He criticised what he described as misleading narratives by social media commentators, stressing that the administration is deliberately working to position the state among those with modern infrastructure.
“We are doing it not because we have money, but because we want to sign our signature in the annals of history,” he stated.
This was contained in a statement issued on Sunday by his Chief Press Secretary, Dr. Monday Uzor, and made available to journalists in Abakaliki.
He added that the state aims to be recognised globally for good governance driven by modern infrastructure.