Abia will not downsize workforce – Ikpeazu

Civil servants in Abia State need not have sleepless nights over losing their jobs in the New Year, as the stare government says it is not thinking towards downsizing its workforce in the days ahead.

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, who revealed this at the end of the year press parley held at the Government House Umuahia, the state capital, however urged the state’s workforce to rededicate themselves to the service of the state.

According to Ikpeazu, it is not in our radar, although times are hard, but I do not think that Abia is around the relegation zone. My tangent will rather be in the direction of tasking my workforce on productivity.

“There is no limit to what one will be ready or willing to pay his worker, especially if the worker is adjudged to be making meaningful contribution to the stability of government, to the growth of our economy and to the welfare of Abia State.

“The journey becomes a problem if you are paying your driver, yet your driver doesn’t know how to drive, yet you are paying. In the days ahead I will find a way to get my workforce out of their starting blocks, running,” the governor said.

He continued, “Even as we are talking about enhancing our internally generated revenue, I think that I can generate so much revenue, using our workforce. If they help me to hit my target of N1.5 billion every month, or get beyond it, then they would have secured their place and they would have secured their salaries.

“We are not contemplating downsizing our workforce, neither are we contemplating reducing the minimum wage.

“Of course, you know that Abia is paying more than some of the states around us here in terms of minimum wage. Some states are yet to even key into the minimum wage. Same thing for judicial workers, we are paying the new scale for judicial workers, contrary to what is happening in some states around us.”

He attributed the successes so far recorded by his administration, especially in the regular payment of salaries to prudent management of scarce resources, stressing that his administration had cut down on all kinds of celebrations and things that attracted huge cost.

“We have managed to save at all times and we were mindful of our promise to make sure that our workers get their salaries regularly,” he said.

Ikpeazu promised that his administration would sustain its determination and desire to make sure that the state workers get their salaries promptly, saying “my assurance to my workers is that as long as I find the resources their welfare and salaries remain first charge.”