2022 Budget: RSG Plans Civil Servants’ Promotion, Employment, Payment Of Pension, Gratuities

The Rivers State Government has said that the promotion of civil servants and fresh employment into the civil service are major highlights of the state’s 2022 budget.
Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Mrs Titilola Cline said this at the 2022 pre-budget workshop in Port Harcourt, last Monday.
She said the government would also pay pension and gratuities to retirees in the state while farm inputs and seedlings would be given to farmers to enable them plant to increase food production.
The permanent secretary alsolistedother highlights of the 2022 budget to includesupport to the small and medium enterprises’ sector, initiation of social investment scheme for the physically challenged and other vulnerable persons in the state.
She said key projects would be identified in all communities in the state with a view to supporting and funding them while the ongoing infrastructural revolution in the state would be sustained.
Cline said that the state government would implement the World Bank COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus Scheme for vulnerable persons.
The permanent secretary, who spoke on the theme: “2022Budget Estimate: Hope in a Challenging Era”, said that the COVID-19 pandemic had made both 2020 and2021 very challenging as government revenues were affected.
She, however, said that the state government has achieved tremendous success this year owing to the level of infrastructural development in the state.
Cline listed some of the milestones to include the completion of a number of projects such as flyovers, Mother and Child Hospital, the several road projects and some ongoing projects across the state.
Earlier while declaring the event open, the Commissioner, Ministry of Finance, Barrister Isaac Kamalu, said that the 2020 and 2021 budgets were negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Mrs Titilola Cline, he expressed the hope of a prosperous 2022, and emphasised the need for a well-thought out budget for 2022.
Some participants who spoke to newsmen, thanked the government for the workshop, and expressed the hope that the budget would improve the quality of life of the people.

By: John Bibor