24th December, 2015
Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
of Bayelsa State
Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to the welfare of civil servants, assuring that he would not subscribe to any move for the downward review of the present minimum wage, despite the financial hardship facing the state.
Speaking with journalists on Thursday in Yenagoa, he maintained that, rather than reduce the minimum wage, as being advocated in some quarters, his administration would do everything within its reach to create a more enabling environment for them to discharge their duties effectively.
He restated his commitment to the training and re-training of public servants in 2016 to promote human capacity building, which is one of the cardinal points of his administration.
On the delay over the payment of December salary, Governor Dickson empathized with workers on the development, explaining that up till the time of the briefing, the state was yet to receive its monthly allocation from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC).
He, however, said the government was working round the clock to ensure the payment on or before next week by exploring other means, adding that he has directed the state financial team to liaise with financial institutions to effect payment of workers and pensioners.
Calling on workers to show more understanding, Governor Dickson explained that the present economic situation was not peculiar to Bayelsa State, but assured that the government would not renege on its promise of making the state civil service one of the best in the country.
Dickson said, “Civil servants are important to us so we will do more about their training and welfare. I think we will meet with them more regularly next year because they need to show more understanding as we move forward.
“Bayelsa is committed to the minimum wage. I don’t believe in reducing the minimum wage at all. I’m rather even in support of doing more things to make living better for civil servants, after all, they are our brothers and sisters.
“I have always told civil servants that they are the landlords while I am the tenant. Now my tenancy has been renewed for another four more years. We are just waiting for the lease to be signed, sealed and delivered by INEC on the 9th of January, 2016.
“So what I will be telling them is to get ready so that we can partner and work together to build a better Bayelsa. Not a Bayelsa of needless rumours and antagonism and acrimony, but a Bayelsa where people show understanding. For example, the economic outlook of the year 2016, is not very bright at the national level; these are issues that people must come to terms with. So don’t allow politicians and other detractors use you in the civil service.”