• Friday, March 29, 2024
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Akwa Ibom slashes salaries of political appointees by 20 percent

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Akwa Ibom government has announced a 20 percent reduction in the salaries of political appointees in an apparent response to a drop in revenue accruing to the state from the federation account.

Emmanuel Ekuwem, Secretary to the State Government said in a statement that Governor Udom Emmanuel was confronted with an urgent need to take decision on either of two painful options.

According to him, the options included continuing to pay the current salaries for a while and end up being totally unable to pay same subsequently or spread the discomfort (20% cut) sustainably over a period of time pending the return of crude oil price to normalcy in the global market.

Ekuwem said it was based on the same ancient principle of “necessity is the mother of invention”, that led to the establishment of the Akwa Ibom State Post-COVID-19 economic reconstruction committee “to recommend navigable routes out of this global economic morass for our State.”

He said the measures being taken were temporary, adding that the State Government would transparently resume full payment of salaries when the dark clouds are over.