Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, has declared a Christmas bonus of ₦150,000 for all civil servants in the state.
The governor stated that the bonus reflects his administration’s commitment to enhancing the welfare of civil servants, despite a decline in the state’s revenue over the past year.
Nwifuru made the announcement on Sunday during a church service at the Government House Chapel in Abakaliki.
Regarding the upcoming local government elections, he emphasized that he has not endorsed any candidate and assured that all aspirants will have a fair and 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.
Nwifuru restated his directive to political appointees wishing to contest the local government election 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’s election as an appointee, you must resign as stipulated by the law.”
Governor Nwifuru also dispelled rumours of lethargy in the construction of Vincent Agwu Nwankwo Flyover, a major project of his administration.
“You cannot find any state in Nigeria that is doing such flyover currently,” he said, explaining the construction rigours inherent in the project that is designed to give the state a facelift when completed.
He decried social media criticism of the project, maintaining that the administration is deliberately taking steps to ensure the state is seen as having advanced and modern infrastructure.
“We are doing it not because we have money, we are doing it because we want to sign our signature in the anals of history,” Nwifuru said.
