The Rivers government says it gave priority attention to workers’ welfare and human capital development in order to add value to life and ensure quality service delivery.
Joe Johnson, the Commissioner for Information and Communication said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt on Thursday.
He said that that the Gov. Siminalayi Fubara-led government believed strongly in promoting workers’ welfare in order to spur productivity
Johnson said that to demonstrate the government’s interest in workers’ welfare, the governor had approved the payment of N30,000 as wage award to local government workers.
“The governor has approved the immediate promotion of local government workers and full implementation of gratuities for grade level 17 officers in the system.
”In the governor’s first year in office, he implemented the promotion of all civil servants who were stagnated for several years, he also paid their financial entitlements fully,” he said.
The commissioner further said Fubara paid N100,000 as Christmas bonus to civil servants in the state, saying, “this is a morale booster to the work force”
He said that water supply had been restored at the state secretariat complex, and that faulty elevators had been repaired and made functional
Johnson said that the state government partnered the Bank of Industry to dudburse N4 billion seed loan to 3,066 mall and medium scale business owners in the state.
He said that no fewer than 100 companies of limited status were part of the beneficiaries, and that loans of between N500,000 and N10 million were given out.
“It’s a liberal loan in the sense that the interest rate is negligible,’’ he said.
Speaking on security, Johnson said that that the government had plans to meaningfully engage the youth by providing the enabling environment for them to do businesses.
“Every crime has a causative effect. We shall ensure that our youths are meaningfully engaged. It is one of the reasons for the N4 billion seed loan.
“An idle mind is the devil’s advocate; if we provide enough to engage them, they won’t indulge in kidnapping or robbery.
“The current government is thinking for the people, it has the interest of the people at its heart, it is taking steps to tackle the challenges of the people,” he said. NAN
