Idara Jerome, Uyo
Akwa Ibom State Government says it has paid about ₦35.5 billion in gratuities to retired primary school teachers and local government employees since 2023, while clearing pension arrears owed to former teachers between 2013 and 2021.
The Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mkpisong Frank Archibong, disclosed this on Friday during the ministry’s ministerial briefing in Uyo, saying Governor Umo Eno had directed that provisions for gratuity payments be made every month to address the longstanding challenges facing retirees.
Archibong said the government had paid approximately ₦19.5 billion to retired teachers and ₦16 billion to retired local government workers, bringing the total to about ₦35.5 billion.
He added that the governor had also directed the clearance of outstanding pension arrears owed to primary school teachers from 2013 to 2021, a process he said had been completed.
“Intentionally, the governor said no month should go by without provision being made for the payment of gratuity,” the commissioner said.
“I can boldly say that so far, no month has gone by that at least a billion naira is not being provided for the payment of gratuity in the local government service.”
Beyond the welfare of retirees, Archibong outlined a series of interventions by the Eno administration aimed at strengthening traditional institutions and improving the operations of local government councils.
He disclosed that the governor had appointed personal assistants for all 31 paramount rulers in the state, with the appointees receiving the same remuneration as personal assistants to ward officials.
The commissioner said the administration had also increased the allowances of traditional rulers, maintained regular security votes for paramount rulers and provided quarterly health assistance, alongside annual Christmas packages.
On mobility, he said all 31 paramount rulers had received official vehicles, while seven unserviceable vehicles had been replaced with brand-new Toyota Prado SUVs.
The governor, he added, had also donated a 32-seater Coaster bus to the traditional institution to facilitate group movements for official engagements and other activities.
Archibong said the administration had extended capacity-building opportunities to traditional rulers through workshops, conferences, retreats and peacebuilding programmes, noting that the initiative recognised their leadership responsibilities in their respective communities.
He further disclosed that the government had processed 572 certificates of recognition for traditional rulers within the past three years, while several coronations had been conducted to strengthen the traditional institution and resolve longstanding chieftaincy disputes.
“Every certificate of recognition represents more than a ceremony. It represents a community stabilised, a dispute resolved, a traditional institution restored, and a development protected in our respective localities,” he said.
The commissioner also linked the relative peace in the state to improved relationships between the government, traditional rulers and local government authorities, saying interventions in traditional and chieftaincy disputes had significantly reduced communal crises.
On grassroots security, Archibong disclosed that the government had completed the screening and vetting of village youth presidents across the state’s 2,272 villages.
He said the screened youth leaders had been handed over to the Commissioner of Police and the Director of the Department of State Services for security training before their engagement in their respective communities.
According to him, the initiative, undertaken in collaboration with the ministries of Youth Development and Internal Security, is expected to strengthen intelligence gathering and security coordination at the village level.
“I believe this will strengthen security in all of the villages because the governor intends to equip them to function the way he wants them to function,” he said.
Archibong also disclosed that the administration had provided brand-new SUVs to all 31 local government chairmen and their vice chairmen, describing the provision for vice chairmen as a first in the state’s history.
He said three local government chairman’s lodges had been completed and commissioned in Eket, Ikot Ekpene and Essien Udim, while work on similar facilities in the remaining local government areas was at advanced stages.
The commissioner said the administration had also strengthened training for council chairmen, councillors and other local government personnel, alongside improved budget oversight and coordination of council activities.
Archibong attributed the progress recorded to the governor’s commitment to strengthening the two institutions closest to the grassroots, urging traditional rulers, community leaders and local government officials to sustain their support for the ARISE Agenda.
The impact of the interventions also received commendation from the Chairman of the Akwa Ibom State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Nsibiet John, who described Archibong as a commissioner whose work had given local government and chieftaincy administration a distinct identity.
John, who spoke during the vote of thanks at the briefing, said his assessment was informed by his experience leading NUJ members on visits to all 31 local government areas of the state and interactions with council chairmen, supervisors, councillors, paramount rulers and village heads.
“I must say, sir, that the testimonies from these council chairmen, supervisors and councillors, including the paramount rulers and village heads, attest to the fact that indeed you are a working commissioner and a royal commissioner at that,” he said.
He added that traditional rulers, clan heads and other community stakeholders he had interacted with shared positive views about the commissioner’s stewardship.
“They have one thing in common: Frank Archibong has given the local government and the Chieftaincy Affairs administration a face and identity,” John said.
The NUJ chairman also acknowledged the commissioner’s interventions in other areas, including support for local government information officers, describing the feedback from beneficiaries of the ministry’s programmes as encouraging.
He urged Archibong to sustain the pace of work, noting that effective local government administration and a strengthened traditional institution would have positive implications for communities across the state.
