Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has ordered the immediate issuance of promotion letters to 4,000 eligible civil servants who were recently promoted in the state.
The governor gave the directive to the State Civil Service Commission during the Workers Day celebration in Port Harcourt.
He assured that the entire promotion exercise of other categories would be completed before the expiration of his tenure.
Wike, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Tammy Danagogo, commended civil servants and urged them to work towards protecting and advancing the social and economic interests of the state.
“We believe the private sector is the engine room of economic growth and enabler of prosperity. As a government, our role is to capitalise on the private sector to create good jobs and employ our citizens. Accordingly, we have improved the ease of doing business, primarily tackled insecurity and created an enabling fiscal regime for businesses to thrive in the State.
“We recently directed the Civil Service Commission to initiate the employment process of ten thousand workers into the State Civil Service as part of our measures to reduce unemployment in the State. This is in addition to the approval we gave to the heads of State Tertiary Institutions to fill all existing job vacancies in the state.
“The State Civil Service Commission has recently concluded the workers’ promotion exercise. We have approved the promotion of over 4,000 eligible civil servants to their appropriate levels and directed the Commission to issue the beneficiaries with their promotion letters immediately,” he stressed.
The governor also revealed that he has resolved the initial challenges to pay gratuities and death benefits to retirees and statutory beneficiaries.
According to him, “Statutory and death benefits have since resumed with the monthly disbursement of the sum of N1bn to beneficiaries. I assure you that we will clear the state of all its burden as soon as possible and requested workers’ unions patience and understanding.”
Wike, however, appealed for patience and understanding, assuring that his administration will clear all the challenges facing the Civil service in terms of pension and gratuities, among others.
Speaking at the event, the National President of the Trade Union Congress(TUC), Engr. Festus Osifo commended workers for their hard work in the state.
On his part, the State Chairman of TUC, Comrade Ikechukwu Foster Onyefuru, called on the Governor to review workers’ salary upwards due to rising inflation and increasing high cost of goods and services.
