RSG Set To Pay Workers’ Salaries …Condemns Protest In PH

The Rivers State Government has assured that it has concluded plans to pay workers their salaries for the month of April, next week.
The state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs Ibim Semenitari, admitted yesterday, that the government owed workers’ salaries for April, insisting that the March salaries of workers have been paid.
Semenitari, who was reacting to complaints that the state government was still owing civil servants two months’ salary, said that Rivers State Government was one of the few states that have remained consistent in the payment of workers’ salaries.
She also disclosed that the state government had been able to sustain itself mainly because of the increase in the internally-generated revenue (IGR), which rose from N2billion to over N7billion monthly.
“I can beat my chest to say that we are the only state aside Lagos that has paid salaries up-to-date. We have paid up to March, and we plan to pay April salaries from next week”, Semenitari said.
“April ended few days ago. And you should remember that some states are still owing their workers eight months, six months, four months salaries. Rivers State is able to pay because it does not rely on FAC. It depends on its IGR to pay. Our IGR has moved from N2billion to N9billion,” she added.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Government has condemned the needless violent protest yesterday in Port Harcourt over the delay in the payment of workers’ salaries, saying that the government has “consistently shown good faith in our dealings with all categories of persons”.
The state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs Ibim Semenitari, who made the condemnation in a statement, Monday, in reaction to a protest by some persons claiming to be staff of the Rivers State Ministry of Sports, who are allegedly owned eight months’ salary, assured that the government would “continue to ensure the payment of staff salaries because it believes that the welfare of its workers must be paramount in governance.”
According to her, “while the Government of Rivers State will not wish to join issues with the demonstrators, it wishes to note that all civil servants employed by the Government of Rivers State have been paid salaries up to the month of March, with plans to commence payment of April salaries”.
She noted that the government “will not treat with levity matters concerning other staff in its employ who while they may not be civil servants, are ad-hoc staff deserving of fair treatment.
“Government, however, must verify all claims by persons who may be so employed to enable it compute what salaries and wages are due these categories of persons and address the matter as may be most appropriate”, she pointed out.
Semenitari said “while we appreciate the challenges many persons face in our country today, we dare say that it is curious that this protest is coming on the heels of spurious and mischievous allegations by some persons that the Rivers State Government is indebted to its workers.
“The Rivers State Government, for the avoidance of doubt, reiterates its commitment to its workers, and promises that it will meet all obligations to all persons in its employ”, Semenitari added.