Akwa Ibom state Governor Pastor Umo Bassey Eno, has ordered immediate payment of N1.1billion to 20,345 public schools’ teachers for their Wardrobe Allowance.
Mr Ekerete Udoh, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor in a social media post on Thursday June 27, 2024, said the Governor also approved the release of N1billion for the payment of bonuses to each of the 52 thousand public service workers.
He said the Governor also approved N2.3 billion for the payment of gratuities for retired state civil servants and retired local government workers.
Accordingly, as announced by the Governor during the recently concluded Public Service Week events, the sum of N79 million also has been approved for the award of full scholarships for four Akwa Ibom indigenes.
He said they were recently granted admission to study the Standard Pilot Course and Standard Air Traffic Control Course at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria.
Additionally, Udoh said N104 million has been released by the governor as the first tranche payment of the 2024 primary school teachers’ Leave Grant.
According to him, N172 million has been released for payment of severance gratuity package for Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen of Local Government Councils who served from 2018-2022.
Therefore, the total sum of money authorized by the Governor for the immediate release is N4.755 billion in pursuit of the Arise Agenda’s goals.
This he said will help cushion the effect of the current harsh economic situation in Nigeria.
Moreover, “the release of these funds further deepens the compassionate bonafide of Governor Eno towards the downtrodden, which he had promised to champion,” Udoh said.
He highlighted some the outreach programs embarks by the governor to include the construction of Arise Compassionate Homes and the monthly N50,000 palliative for elderly care throughout the state.
Others he said include, the free medical outreach programmes he has been funding, the Arise Free Food Voucher programme executed under the Bulk Purchase Agency and the N2 billion interest-free loans to traders as well as Arewa, Yoruba, Igbo and Niger Delta communities in the state.
Truth Live News also gathered that N500,000 grant is given to each of the over 800 budding entrepreneurs under the IBOM-LED Entrepreneurship Accelerator Programme (EAP) and the payment of bursary and other educational grants, among other.