Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, has approved a Christmas bonus of ₦150,000 for every civil servant in the state for the 2025 festive season.
The governor made the announcement on Sunday during a church service at the Government House Chapel in Abakaliki, according to a statement signed by his 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.
Uzor quoted Nwifuru saying the bonus reflects his administration’s commitment to improving the welfare of civil servants despite dwindling state revenue over the past year.
While addressing the congregation, the governor also dismissed rumours of delays in the construction of the Vincent Agwu Nwankwo Flyover, a landmark infrastructural project in the state.
“You cannot find any state in Nigeria that is doing such a flyover currently,” Nwifuru said.
He explained that the construction of the massive project is rigorous but will transform the state’s landscape and enhance its aesthetic appeal once completed. The governor decried misconceptions circulated by social media commentators about the project.
“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 Ebonyi aims to be recognised globally for good governance and modern infrastructure.
In August, the governor increased the state’s minimum wage by ₦20,000, raising the new pay for civil servants to ₦90,000.
The increase, according to the state government, took effect immediately and is part of Nwifuru’s ‘People’s Charter of Needs Agenda.’
At the federal level, President Bola Tinubu signed the national minimum wage bill into law in July 2024, following the National Assembly’s passage of the Minimum Wage Act of 2019.
The law raised the minimum wage from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000, concluding months of negotiations among labour unions, the private sector, and government authorities.
However, some states have yet to implement the new wage structure.
