Ebonyi State governor, Francis Nwifuru, has approved a N150,000 Christmas bonus package 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 to the state over the past year.
The announcement was disclosed through his Chief Press Secretary, Dr. Monday Uzor, in a statement made available on Sunday.
On the forthcoming local government elections in the state, the governor made it clear that 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.
Governor Nwifuru also renewed his directive to political appointees wishing to contest in the local government elections to resign, in line with the 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 added.
The governor also dispelled rumours of lethargy surrounding 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 inherent in the massive project, which he noted would transform the city’s landscape and give the state a facelift upon completion.
He decried what he described as the distorted views of social media commentators on the project, maintaining that the administration is deliberately taking steps to ensure the state is recognised among nations with advanced and modern infrastructure.
“We are not doing this because we have excess money; we are doing it because we want to leave our signature in the annals of history,” he said.
He further stated that the state desires to be referenced on the global map of good governance, characterised by modern infrastructure.