By Thompson Yamput
Gov. Usman Ododo of Kogi has put a smile on the faces of workers on Friday when he paid their June salaries in the wake of the Eid-El-Kabir celebration.
It could be recalled that the governor on Friday paid the salaries and also distributed food palliative to the workers to facilitate a sumptuous Sallah celebration.
Some of the civil servants, who spoke to ephemeralness.ng on Saturday, expressed appreciation to the governor for the gesture, which they said would greatly fine tune the 2024 Eid-el-Kabir celebration.
“The governor’s early payment of June salaries, alongside distribution of food palliatives to workers to commemorate the Eid- el- Sallah celebration, is a blessing to us,” Hajiya Fatima Baba, a civil servant said.
Alhaji Bala Adejoh, a senior civil servant, who was full of praises for the governor said: “It’s a great relief getting June salary to celebrate this Sallah.
“My prayer for the governor is for him to enjoy God’s grace, guidance and blessings as he rules Kogi in this our trial time as a country, ” Adejoh said.
Ododo had, in a statement by Mr Onogwu Muhammed, his
Special Adviser on Public Relations on Saturday, said the peoples’ vote for ‘consolidation and continuity’ in Kogi was not a mistake.
According to him, before 2016, Kogi faced a convoluted and ineffective civil service system, coupled with the irregular payment of workers’ salaries, which constituted the gravamen for successive administrations.
“Unfortunately, efforts to sanitise the system and ensure timely wage payments for genuine workers were hindered by lack of political will and various obstacles.
“It was the bold initiative of Ex-Gov. Yahaya Bello’s administration that unbundled this cumbersome system.
“The civil service reform under Bello’s administration was arduous and demanding for both the civil servants and the government.
“Since 2017, the government policy has ensured that workers’ salaries are paid between the 25th and 27th of every month, a policy that the current administration is continuing.
“The civil service reform was one of the five key thematic areas of the ‘New Direction Administration’ of the previous government, focusing on Education, Health, Agriculture, Infrastructure, and Civil Service reforms, ” he said.
Ododo added: “Part of fulfillment of my promise of sustainable welfare is paying the June salaries and pensions of workers and retirees in Kogi ahead of the Sallah celebration.”
The governor said the early payment of salaries to civil servants, along with the ongoing distribution of the second quarterly food palliative to vulnerable populations across the state, is part of the government’s efforts to ensure people could fully enjoy the festivities with their families.
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He reassured that his administration would continue to prioritise welfare of workers, pensioners, and the residents.
He explained that the comprehensive reforms in the public and civil service sectors, made Kogi one of the most attractive public employers in Nigeria today.
Ododo said his administration’s commitment to continuity and consolidation was evident in its policies and actions toward sustaining the wellbeing of residents and development of Kogi.
