Delta approves 13th-month salary for state workers

…To purchase 50 CNG vehicles, 50 electric cars

Delta State Government is taking measures aimed at easing the pains of harsh economy on the workers and citizens of the state as it has approved the institutionalisation of 13th-month salary for state workers across the state.

Also approved is the provision of safe, efficient and effective transportation system as well as major health projects to strengthen the healthcare system among others.
The approvals were made during the state executive council meeting presided by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, the state governor, Friday.

The approvals are coming after a week of the just concluded state’s 2026 Civil Service Week where the workers appealed to the governor to roll out measures that could ease the hardship caused by harsh economy occasioned by the federal government’s removal of fuel subsidy and naira devaluation in the country.

It would be recalled that the governor had initially rolled out palliative measures for the workers, which included N10,000 monthly allowance per worker and rotational work schedule for those below Levels-14 while staff on Levels 15 and above were permitted to work out convenient schedules and operate remotely. As the economy bites harder, however, the workers cried on the 2026 Workers’ Day, “High Cost of Rent, Feeding and Transportation are killing us”.

The year’s civil service week held last week provided a more auspicious opportunity for even journalists in the state to join in pressing for the governor’s intervention not just on infrastructure but in the living condition of both workers and citizens.

They remembered the free mass transit system during the tenure of Emmanuel Uduaghan, former governor of the state, which they said made life a lot easier for not just civil servants but for all residents of the state. Netizens on social media joined in hailing former Gov Uduaghan and urged Gov Oborevwori to emulate the gesture to compliment the road infrastructure he has been focusing on.

Thus, the governor at the Dinner and Awards Night marking this year’s Civil Service Week declared 13th-month salary for the over civil servants in the state among other incentives, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to workers’ welfare. BusinessDay reports that the state has over 60,000 persons in its workforce including those in the teaching hospitals.

Charles Aniagwu, while briefing journalists at the end of the state exco meeting on Friday, said council especially with social issues, education and learning, etc.
“His Excellency, the Governor, today came up with a memo, asking the exco to approve that the 13th-month salary becomes permanent after which a bill is to be forwarded to the House of Assembly, so that it would not be according to the whims and caprices of anybody who may want to stop the 13th-month salary in the future.

The 13th-month salary is going to be institutionalised by Law of the State House of Assembly, now haven been approved by the exco. So, it’s not just a promise that it will last only through the tenure of this administration. Our civil servants starting from this year, are now going to be receiving the 13th-month salary by way of statutory provision,” he stated.

Continuing, Aniagwu disclosed, “The exco today looked at the challenges of some of our secondary schools and there seems to be a dearth of teachers, particularly the science subjects and that has been affecting the quality of education.

“The exco has directed that the Ministry of Secondary Education should speedily come up with a memo on the number of teachers that are going to be employed. So, in principle, the exco has approved that we proceed to employ more teachers to be able to address those issues of not having enough teachers in our secondary schools,” he explained.

Aniagwu, who was flanked by Joseph Onojaeme and Onoriode Agofure, commissioners for Health and Transport, respectively, said the council weighed on a number of other issues spanning, health, transport and light as well as road projects.

50 CNG buses, Electric Vehicles, Mega Bus Terminal for Delta Mass Transit

Onoriode Agofure, the state commissioner for Transport, took his turn to brief that the exco approved the purchase of 50 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses, the acquisition of electric vehicles and the construction of an ultra-modern mega bus terminal in Asaba as part of efforts to improve public transportation across the state.

He said the approvals were informed by a comprehensive transportation study carried out across major cities in the state, including Warri, Asaba, Ughelli, Agbor, Sapele, Abraka and Oleh.

The study revealed that an average of over 19,000 people move around the state daily, with about 80 per cent of commuters depending on public transportation, while only 20 per cent rely on private vehicles, he said.

Agofure said the findings underscored the need for government to strengthen the state’s public transport system to meet the needs of the majority of residents.
He noted that Governor Oborevwori recognised transportation as a critical sector that drives economic and social activities, stressing that movement of people and goods is essential for commerce, education and access to workplaces.

The commissioner explained that the newly approved 50 CNG buses would form the backbone of the state’s MORE Mass Transit Scheme, aimed at providing safe, affordable and efficient transportation for residents.

He added that the approval for electric vehicles reflected the administration’s commitment to embracing modern, environmentally friendly transportation solutions.

Agofure further disclosed that the council also approved the construction of an ultra-modern mega bus terminal in Asaba to serve as the operational hub for the state’s mass transit system.

He said the terminal would help eliminate the numerous roadside and informal motor parks around the popular Koka Junction area, thereby improving traffic management and enhancing the aesthetics of the state capital.

According to him, land for the project has already been acquired and necessary processes are underway to commence construction.

He explained that when completed, all existing mushroom parks, including those operated by private transport operators, would be relocated to the new facility.

The commissioner also disclosed that a similar bus terminal would be developed in Warri, noting that the Federal Government had already approved the project following the intervention of Governor Oborevwori.

He said the projects were part of the Oborevwori administration’s commitment to modernising Delta State’s transportation infrastructure and delivering a more efficient and integrated public transport system for residents.