Delta’s 13th-Month Salary To Cost State N16bn – Aniagwu

The Delta State government has disclosed that the proposed 13th-month salary for public servants will cost the state about N16 billion.

The commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, disclosed this while briefing journalists in Asaba, promising that the proposed payment would not be limited to workers’ basic salaries.

Aniagwu said the 13th-month salary would be paid as full gross salary, including all applicable allowances and other benefits, adding that the payment was equivalent to the state’s monthly wage bill, which is in the neighbourhood of N16 billion.

According to him, the payment would help to cushion the effects of the current macroeconomic reforms and improve the welfare of civil servants, enable workers to enjoy the yuletide season and make provisions for school fees, rent and other expenses in January.

Aniagwu said the administration of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori had introduced several interventions aimed at increasing the purchasing power of Deltans, particularly those at the lower end of the economic ladder, pending the full recovery of the economy.

He commended the state House of Assembly for expediting consideration of the 13th-month salary bill, which he said was proposed by the governor to protect the payment from future political interference.

The commissioner expressed optimism that the bill would soon become law.

“Once the governor is back from his short working leave, that bill will be assented to, and it will become a law in Delta State that civil servants will be paid 13th-month salary,” he said.

“Let me emphasise that this 13th-month salary is not just the basic. It is the same thing that you earn in December that you will also earn on the 13th month,” he said.

The commissioner also disclosed that the state government had initiated other measures to stimulate the local economy, including the empowerment of no fewer than 400 persons in each of the 500 wards with N50,000 each.

He said the empowerment programme was not politically motivated but was designed to inject funds into local economies and improve the purchasing power of residents.

Aniagwu added that, while creating a conducive environment for investors, the government recognises the need to strengthen the purchasing power of Deltans and enable residents to achieve better living standards.