Etim Effiong
The Akwa Ibom State Government has announced reduction in the salaries of political appointees by 20 per cent following the challenges posed by COVID-19.
Secretary to Government, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, said in Uyo on Friday that the move was in response to the dwindling revenues because of crash in the oil prices in the international market.
He said, “His Excellency, Governor Udom Emmanuel, has painfully directed, the slashing of salaries of all political office holders by 20 per cent.
“The governor was confronted with an urgent need to take decision on either of two painful options: continue to pay the current salaries for a while and end up being totally unable to pay same subsequently or spread the discomfort (20 per cent cut) sustainably over a period
of time pending the return of crude oil price to normalcy in the global market.
“We must not forget that it was by the same ancient principle of ‘necessity is the mother of invention’, that led to the establishment of the Akwa Ibom State Post COVID-19 Economic Reconstruction Committee by the governor, to recommend navigable routes out of this global economic morass for our state.”
He, however, assured the political appointees that the measures are temporary, adding that the state government would transparently resume full payment of salaries when things normalise.