By Nurat Uthman
Gov. Siminialayi Fubara of Rivers has affirmed his resolve to pursue policies and programmes that will significantly enhance the welfare of state civil servants.
He remarked on Thursday when he addressed a group of workers who were at the Government House to register their grievances over the non-payment of the N100,000 Christmas largesse he approved for state civil servants.
Fubara, represented by the state Head of Service, George Nweke, apologised to the workers over the development.
He attributed the delay in the payment of the largesse to the unfavourable telecommunication networks being experienced by the bank handling the disbursement and other banks.
He said that workers who had yet to get theirs “are lucky because some people might have finished theirs immediately after it was paid to them.
“The situation was that you get this money and enjoy it during Christmas, but as God will have it, yours had been kept as part of your kids’ school fees this time.
“All I can say is that we apologise for the inconvenience the delay has caused you.
“The governor’s intention was very noble and good.
“We have never seen it this way, and no other state has done what the governor has done for workers,” the governor’s representative said.
According to him, the money has been paid to workers by the state government, but some banks are encountering some glitches.
“But I can assure you that they are on top of the issue because the bank has promised to rectify the problem,” the governor’s representative said.
He further assured the workers that by Friday they would receive the money.
Fubara also urged the workers to continue to be good ambassadors of the state.
He charged them to show commitment, diligence, and dedication, as well as a good image for the state.
The governor assured the workers that other issues, such as the unpaid arrears, would also be adequately addressed.
Earlier, the spokeswoman for the group, Mrs Nengi Effa, said that most of the workers affected were teachers.
Effa said that they decided to bring their complaints to the governor after several attempts to rectify the issues with their organisations and banks failed.
