Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, has approved a N150,000 Christmas bonus for all civil servants in the state ahead of the 2025 festive season.
The approval was announced on Sunday during a church service at the Government House Chapel, Abakaliki. The development was disclosed in a statement issued by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Monday Uzor.
“Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has announced a hundred and fifty thousand naira Christmas bonus to every civil servant in the state,” the statement read.
According to Uzor, the governor said the gesture underscores his administration’s resolve to prioritise workers’ welfare despite the decline in the state’s revenue in the last year.
While speaking at the service, Nwifuru also addressed concerns surrounding the Vincent Agwu Nwankwo Flyover project, dismissing claims that construction work had stalled.
“You cannot find any state in Nigeria that is doing such a flyover currently,” the governor said.
He noted that although the project is technically demanding, it would significantly alter the state’s outlook and improve its visual appeal upon completion. Nwifuru criticised what he described as misleading narratives by some social media commentators regarding the flyover.
“We are doing it not because we have money. We are doing it because we want to sign our signature in the annals of history,” he said, adding that the state is determined to gain global recognition for effective governance and contemporary infrastructure.
The governor had earlier, in August, approved a ₦20,000 increase in the state’s minimum wage, raising the salary of civil servants to ₦90,000.
The state government said the adjustment took immediate effect and aligns with Nwifuru’s ‘People’s Charter of Needs Agenda.’
At the national level, President Bola Tinubu signed the minimum wage bill into law in July 2024 after its passage by the National Assembly.
The new legislation increased the national minimum wage from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000, following prolonged negotiations involving labour unions, the private sector and government stakeholders.
Despite the law, several states are yet to commence implementation of the revised wage structure.
