By Christopher Tom
Worried by the suspected foot dragging by Gov Umo Eno over the implementation of the new N70,000 minimum wage, palpable anxiety currently pervades amongst civil servants as their hope to enjoy the new salary structure this month, hangs in the balance.
Our correspondent reports that when he visited the popular Idongesit Nkanga Secretariat in Uyo, civil servants were sighted in groups discussing the issue.
One of the worried workers explained that they were getting more worried by the day as the governor seems not to be in a hurry to make any pronouncement on the matter.
According to the civil servant, who pleaded anonimity, Pastor Umo Eno does not seem to be worried or disturbed over the plight of civil servants.
“Imagine non- oil producing states like Adamawa and Ebonyi announcing the swift implementation of the new minimum wage with effect from September,which is this month but our state with the highest federal government monthly allocation not making any move to implement same”, the source lamemented.
” Our Governor has not even bothered to set up an implemtation committee not to talk of making any statement about this very sensitive issue which has become a national discourse as it were. His continuous mute keeping attitude on this burning issue is a serious source of worry to us who are at the receiving end. Our families are starving as we are faced with the food inflation ever in the history of Nigerian nation”, lamented another civil servant (names withheld) in a chat with this reporter,as he also regretted the inactive labour in the state to champion workers’ cause.
Recall that Pastor Umo Bassey Eno while the Federal Government discussion on the new salary structure for the nation’s workforce lasted, had promised to pay whatever the federal government arrived at.
As it is now, the Tinubu led administration has since settled for a paltry N70,000 per month, what is our Governor waiting for again?
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