28 February 2020
The Commissioner for Information and Orientation in Cross River State, Comr. Asu Okang, has disclosed that with the implementation of the N30,000 New National Minimum wage in the state come March 2020, the wage bill of the state will shore up by over 20 percent NEGROIDHAVEN has confirmed. This is despite a no jerk up in the allocation which accrues to the State.
Comr Okang made this disclosure to journalists in Calabar, Cross River capital city on Thursday during the second edition of the Ministerial Press Briefing in which the Commissioners for Lands and Housing, and Social Development, Prof John Inyang and Orok Ironbar were respectively present.
The state information boss who wondered how His Excellency the Governor of the state fixed the monthly wage bill, informed that the allocation to the State from the Federation Account amounted to three billion Naira. And that one billion Naira and seven hundred million is immediately deducted for offsetting debt leaving a paltry one billion, three hundred million Naira. He added that with the implementation of the N30,000 New National Minimum Wage Act in the state, the amount jerks to about two billion and two hundred million Naira.
According to Comr Okang, 'Let me also remind us, that our total allocation for the state is N3 billion. From the three billion, deductions for debt servicing is N1.7 billion. N1.3 billion is left for Cross River State. Let me also let you know, maybe you don't have these statistics, it's important we let you have them. That, we have nineteen thousand workers in Cross River State. As at February, the salaries of the 19,000 staff was N1.8 billion. Less than the balance of the Federal Allocation of N1.3 billion.
'With signing the approval of the implementation of the N30,000 minimum wage, that wage bill has jerked up to about N2.2 billion with effect from March 1st.
'… When we talk about salaries I am talking about civil servants, the civil service. I am not talking about the institutions of government that exists based on subventions. For instance, CRUTECH: CRUTECH's monthly subvention for salary and all of that for CRUTECH alone, which is not captured in the N1.8 and N2.2 billion is N250 million. There are other subventionable bodies: Sports Commission, College of Education, all of them are on subvention. By the time you put all of these alone, that's about N600 million. So, N600 million plus N1. 8 billion… That is statutory!
'But with the implementation of the N30,000 minimum wage with effect from 1st of March, it jerks up by over 20%. Yet, there is no jerk up in the allocation', he concluded.
Okang also noted that the State Government CRSG has never owed salaries of civil servants despite these meagre resources.
Okang further informed that he has created a Front Desk with a dedicated phone number at the Ministry of Information where any one can call to get information about government and the state.
