Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa has disclosed that the state government in the last two months has released more than N1.2 billion for pensions.
The Governor made the description yesterday in Asaba when the Delta State College of Permanent Secretaries led by the Head of Service, Mr. Reginald Bayoko paid him a felicitation visit.
He said the state is paying for old pensions, for the new scheme and paying for past services which amount to N1.25 billion monthly on pensions alone.
While describing the civil service as a great contributor to the success story of his administration, he said: “There is no doubt that whatever we do in government, it will not be successful without your (civil servants) commitment, without the bureaucracy, governance will not be easy.”
“There is no doubt that we have gone through tough times and the situation is getting better; we have been trying to get out of the mono-economy but, the economy of Nigeria is still dependent on oil,” he said.
Acording to him, “I appreciate the cooperation I am getting from the civil service; though we still have some challenges in the area of pensions, we are doing a lot in that area.
While observing that 2019 is an election year, Governor Okowa urged the Permanent Secretaries to put in their best on the jobs, saying such would spur subordinates to work harder.
He expressed hope that there will be “reasonable and peaceful transition as we go into the elections; the more we relate with ourselves, the better for us; I thank you for this visit which is the first official visit in the year, 2019.”
Mr. Bayoko had said that the visit was to appreciate Governor Okowa for what he has done for civil servants and the people of Delta State.
“We are here to thank God who has manifested Himself in you; it is a good thing that we visit you physically and appreciate you, we thank you very much our Governor for what you have done for us and what you will continue to do for us,” the Head of Service said.