The Rivers State Government on Wednesday announced the lifting of the ban on promotions of workers in the state civil service.
Gov. Nyesom Wike, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Dr. Ipalibo Banigo, disclosed this at the 2019 Workers Day Celebration at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Elekahia in Port Harcourt.
Wike said that the Chairman of the Civil Service Commission had already been directed to conduct interviews and effect the promotion of Civil Servants to their next salary grades.
He said that he had also approved the recruitment of Rivers indigenes to fill existing vacancies from retired staffs as part of efforts to strengthen the commission for effective service delivery to the people.
Wike said that the government, under his watch, was committed to tackling social issues by creating the enabling environment for the private sector to create jobs and empower unemployed youths in the state.
“We are also strengthening our educational system to ensure that our graduates are imbued with appropriate skills and the mindset to become job creators rather than job seekers.
“We will also continue to implement effective policies and programmes that will address and lift our people from poverty to economic prosperity,” Wike said.
The governor disclosed that government had started implementing the N100, 000,000 interest free-loan to civil servants in a bid to advance the welfare and well-being of civil servants.
Wike promised to pay the new minimum wage as soon as he received the official transmission from the federal government.
He noted that the Pension Reform Bill before the State House of Assembly when passed would bring into existence, a seamless and positive scheme for workers in the state.
The governor said that his promise to construct befitting secretariats for the state chapters of the NLC and the TUC had been fulfilled and would soon be handed over to the unions.
In her speech, the state Chairman of the NLC, Comrade Beatrice Itubo, congratulated Gov. Wike and his deputy for their victory at the last election.
She said that the election victory was a referendum on the performance of Wike in the past four years.
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Itubo said that labour family in Rivers, as a critical development partner, was satisfied with the massive infrastructure development embarked upon by the Gov Wike led administration.
She commended the governor’s commitment to the payment of the new minimum wage.
“Our thanks go to the government of Rivers state under the competent leadership of Governor Wike, for showing preparedness to pay the new national minimum wage as soon as formalities are done with,” Itubo said.
She urged the state government to see the need for harmonization of pension, to benefit pensioners who retired before the implementation of the new pension bill.
Itubo called on the government to seriously address the issue of insecurity in the state. (NAN)