Thousands of civil and public servants took to the streets of Port Harcourt City in Rivers State, southern Nigeria on a solidarity match to the governor’s office.
The workers, who chanted solidarity songs, were led by leaders of the Rivers State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC to the the Governor’s office where the representative of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, the Head of Rivers State Civil Service, Dr. George Nwaeke received them.
According to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Governor, Mr. Boniface Onyedi, Dr. Nwaeke on behalf of the governor acknowledged the friendly leadership of the organised labour, which he noted engenders mutual cooperation.
While reiterating the commitment of Governor Fubara’s administration to institute more welfare schemes beyond implementing promotions and Christmas bonuses, Nwaeke noted that the one hundred thousand naira (N100,000.00) Christmas bonus to each civil servant in Rivers State was unprecedented and exceeded the monthly remuneration of some workers.
“Within this few months of the governor being in office, promotion has been made and reflected in salary, rehabilitation work has been done at the State Secretariat Complex to provide a good working environment for workers.
“All these are possible because the leadership of labour in Rivers State is friendly. They have been supportive of every government activity,” the governor’s representative was quoted as saying.
Good governance
The Rivers State chairperson of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Alex Agwanwor in a message co-signed by the chairman of the Joint Negotiation Council, Comrade Chuku Emecheta and the State Chairperson of the Trade Union Congress, Comrade Ikechukwu Onyefuru, described the current political crisis as a potential threat to the stability and good governance provided by Governor Fubara.
The statement indicated that the message read in part, “the Congress unanimously pledged to accord all the necessary support to the government of Sir Siminalayi Fubara, the Executive Governor of Rivers State to deliver the dividends of democracy for the prosperity of our members and the good people of Rivers State.”
The message read: “organised labour wishes to appreciate Sir Siminalayi Fubara for his magnanimity in the recent promotions, including the payment of a record breaking One Hundred Thousand Naira (N100,000.00) Christmas bonus set by Dr. Peter Odili that gave civil servants Twenty Thousand (N 20,000) during his administration.
“The governor’s humane and kind disposition to Rivers State civil servants and his passion to uplift the fortunes of the Rivers people is unparalleled.
They assured the governor of unflinching support and co-operations at all times.
Lateefah Ibrahim
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