Civil servants to work three days per week –Okorocha

Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State yesterday said he was contemplating the reduction of work days for civil and public servants in the state from five to three days per week. Okorocha made the disclosure while briefing journalists on the state of affairs in Imo at his Spitball residence in Owerri. He said the reduction from five to three days was to enable workers have more time to attend to other activities that would supplement their monthly earnings to better support their families.
“I encourage Imo workers to find additional things to do so as to support their families because of the economic situation we are facing in Nigeria. “We are considering plans to reduce working days from five to three in Imo so that workers will use the rest of the days to work and support their families,” he said.
Okorocha, who was not specific on when the implementation of the reduction in working days would commence said the state government was equally planning to further make a downward review of salaries paid to the state workers.
He said in spite of the current payment of 70 per cent of salaries to workers, the state still pays the highest salary scale in the South- East. “Directors in these other South-Eastern states receive something a little above N90, 000 while in Imo they receive more than N100, 000.
We intend to clear salary arrears up to July by next week. After that we will consider downward review of salary to workers so as to be at par with other states in the South-East,” he said. Okorocha also spoke on his urban renewal programme, noting that relocation of Ekeukwu Owerri market and the Orji and Nekede mechanic villages to Avu was irreversible.
“From Monday, August 1, a taskforce to enforce the relocation order for the mechanics will commence work, and I am advising vehicle owners to ensure that they do not take their vehicles to any of these places from Monday,” he said.