In a significant gesture to state workers, Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru has announced a substantial Christmas bonus of N150,000 for every civil servant in the state ahead of the 2025 festive season. The announcement was made by the governor on Sunday during a church service at the Government House Chapel in Abakaliki. Governor Nwifuru explained that the bonus is consistent with his administration’s commitment to prioritizing the welfare of public servants, even in the face of what he described as dwindling revenue accruing to the state over the past year.
In the same address, the governor took the opportunity to counter swirling rumors regarding the pace of work on the massive Vincent Agwu Nwankwo Flyover, popularly known as VANCO. Nwifuru firmly dismissed claims of any lethargy surrounding the project, which he championed as a monumental infrastructural marvel of his administration. “You cannot find any state in Nigeria that is doing such a flyover currently,” the governor stated, emphasizing the complexity and scale of the project which is expected to drastically transform the state’s aesthetic and infrastructure.
While acknowledging the inherent construction difficulties associated with such a large-scale venture, which will ultimately give the state a necessary facelift upon completion, Governor Nwifuru criticized what he called the cloudy view of “social media contractors” concerning the project’s progress. He reiterated his administration’s commitment to ensuring Ebonyi State is recognized among nations with advanced and modern infrastructure, stressing the drive behind the effort: “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.” Nwifuru expressed a desire for Ebonyi to be globally referenced as a model of good governance distinguished by modern infrastructure.
This latest welfare package follows a recent major increment in worker salaries. In August, the governor had already increased the minimum wage by N20,000, bringing the new monthly pay for state civil servants to N90,000, effective immediately. The state government had attributed this decision to Governor Nwifuru’s ‘People’s Charter of Needs Agenda’. This increment significantly exceeds the federal minimum wage of N70,000, which President Bola Tinubu signed into law in July 2024, concluding months of negotiations between labor unions, the private sector, and government authorities, though some states have yet to fully implement the new national wage structure.
