Ebonyi plans summit for farmers, teachers

• Umahi orders payment of July workers’ salary 

AS part of his government’s determination to take the state to a greater level, the Ebonyi State governor, Chief Dave Umahi, has said that plans were underway to organise agric and teachers summits in the state. He noted that the agric summit for rice farmers would chart a road-map on how to improve the agric sector in line with his administration’s policy of restoring the glory of the state as Nigeria’s food basket.

In a press statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Emma Anya, Chief Umahi also explained that the planned teachers’ summit would aid to revolutionise teaching in the state and make the education sector a model for the nation.

Stressing that there was no going back on his earlier promise to return some schools to missionaries, the governor directed the Commissioner for Education, Prof. John Eke, to ensure the speedy completion of all arrangements leading to the handover before the next academic session. In another development, Governor Umahi has directed that the July salaries of workers be paid alongside those of June.

The directive came barely a day to the commencement of the verification of the state’s civil servants in Abakaliki and other locations in the state.

He gave the directive during the 21st priestly ordination of his Senior Special Adviser on Welfare and Religious Matters, Rev. Fr. Abraham Nwali, at St. Matthew’s Catholic Church, Ugwachare in Abakaliki.

Umahi, who reiterated his desire not to reduce the salaries of workers and downsize the workforce, said: “On Thursday, I was at the National Economic Council meeting in Abuja and this issue of salary payments, especially those of local council workers. “I said to the Governor of the Central Bank what I do I do? A governor in the North said ‘I have to reduce my workforce’ and the other from the South-West said the same.

But the CBN governor said there are two things you can do: ‘You either reduce their salaries or reduce the number of the workforce.’ “But I said here in Ebonyi, we are not going to reduce the workforce and we are not going to reduce salaries of workers.”