• Eno Has Put Workers’ Welfare at Heart of Governance
By Ernest Akpan
Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, has placed workers’ welfare at the centre of his administration, with the government settling billions of naira in inherited gratuities, improving salaries, expanding recruitment and sustaining dialogue with organised labour, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Labour, Sir Udo Kierian Akpan, has said.
Kierian, who is also the International President of Arise with Renewed Hope Initiative, said the administration had paid about ₦98 billion out of an inherited gratuity and other emoluments liability of approximately ₦111 billion, describing the intervention as one of the clearest indications of the Governor’s commitment to workers and retirees.
The Governor had similarly disclosed during his September 2026 broadcast to mark Akwa Ibom’s 39th anniversary that his administration had paid more than ₦98 billion of the approximately ₦111 billion inherited obligations owed to retirees.
Kierian spoke in an interview with ARISE Standard, where he reviewed the administration’s labour relations, workers’ welfare interventions, settlement of longstanding disputes and its engagement with trade unions and other labour stakeholders.
According to him, the administration’s approach has been anchored on continuous dialogue rather than waiting for disputes to escalate before engaging labour.
He said one of the principles that had guided his work was a directive from Governor Eno at the time of his appointment to “tell me the truth, and also tell everybody the truth.”
Kierian said he subsequently began engaging labour leaders individually and collectively, maintaining that regular communication had helped prevent disagreements from degenerating into industrial crises.
“We do not wait until they have issues before I begin to talk to them. We operate like brothers and sisters in the field,” he said.
• Labour disputes
Kierian recalled that one of the first major issues he handled was the dispute involving judiciary workers over an outstanding allowance.
He said the matter was addressed within a month, after which the outstanding entitlement was paid.
He also cited disputes involving workers in tertiary institutions, including the University of Uyo, College of Education and Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, saying the government intervened in salary and allowance-related issues affecting different categories of workers.
According to him, one of the issues involved an allowance that had remained unpaid to some teaching staff for about 12 years.
He said the matter was eventually brought before Governor Eno, who approved its resolution.
Kierian also said the government had addressed outstanding pension and gratuity obligations and other salary-related matters that had generated tension between the government and labour.
He maintained that the result had been a relatively stable industrial environment.
“So far, so good. There is no serious dispute between government and the civil service capable of triggering a major protest or strike,” he said.
He disclosed that he recently held a meeting with 82 labour leaders, which lasted until about 8 p.m., describing the engagement as evidence of the administration’s sustained consultation with labour.
• Salary, pensions and other welfare interventions
Kierian listed several interventions which, according to him, had directly affected the welfare of serving and retired workers.
These include salary adjustments, payment of leave grants, the 13th-month salary popularly known as “Eno-Mber”, pension increases, recruitment and the settlement of longstanding obligations.
He said pensioners had benefited from increases approved by the Governor, including adjustments of ₦25,000 and ₦20,000 in 2024, depending on category, followed by a general ₦27,000 increase in 2026.
He also pointed to the government’s provision of housing support for workers, describing the allocation of 250 housing units to workers as another major intervention.
Kierian said the administration had also sustained the 13th-month salary and had begun processing promotions ahead of the end of the year to minimise delays in workers’ career progression.
The state government has previously confirmed the continuation of the 13th-month salary and the implementation of the ₦80,000 minimum wage for public servants.
He further said the administration had paid the annual leave grant and was taking steps to ensure that workers received their entitlements without unnecessary delays.
• Airport workers, health sector
Kierian also highlighted the integration of airport workers into the state civil service following the creation of the Ministry of Aviation.
He said the workers were allowed to retain their previous earning structure to prevent them from suffering a reduction in income after joining the civil service.
He also cited interventions in the health sector, saying the Governor approved salary increases for health workers, with adjustments of 35 and 40 per cent for some categories.
He said the government’s health insurance intervention had also contributed to improved welfare among workers and residents.
• Recruitment
On employment, Kierian said the administration had undertaken what he described as its most extensive recruitment exercise in recent years.
He said more than 4,000 people had been employed through different recruitment batches, particularly highlighting the health sector.
The Head of Service, Mrs Elsie Peters, had separately announced that the administration had recruited or approved the recruitment of 7,069 personnel, while also listing welfare measures including regular salaries, the minimum wage, 13th-month salary and gratuity payments.
Kierian said the administration had also intervened in the welfare of plantation workers who had gone for months without payment, as well as casual workers who had accumulated outstanding obligations.
• ‘Government has human face’
Reflecting on the payment of inherited gratuities, Kierian said the intervention demonstrated what he described as the human side of the Governor.
He said Governor Eno could have chosen to concentrate only on obligations arising under his administration but instead decided to address liabilities inherited from previous years.
“He could have come like other governors who would say, ‘I will pay what belongs to my administration and leave.’ But no. The Governor said that whoever was due should be paid,” he said.
Kierian said the policy was particularly significant because many of the beneficiaries were retirees who had already completed their years of service and depended on their entitlements.
He linked the gratuity payments to other social interventions, including the ARISE Compassionate Homes programme, arguing that such programmes demonstrated an emphasis on citizens at the grassroots.
• Appeal for productivity
While praising the government’s interventions, Kierian urged workers to reciprocate through greater commitment to their duties.
He said improved welfare should be accompanied by productivity, discipline and a willingness to support the development of the state.
He also urged labour leaders to continue engaging the government through dialogue rather than confrontation.
• Politics and 2027
Kierian, who is also a principal figure in the ARISE With RENEWED HOPE INITIATIVE, said the group was established by supporters who wanted to take what they regard as the achievements of the Eno administration to the grassroots.
He said the group had developed structures across wards and units and was preparing for the 2027 political season.
On the Governor’s re-election bid, Kierian expressed confidence in the strength of the administration’s grassroots structures and said supporters intended to campaign on the record of the government.
He also claimed that the Governor enjoyed substantial support across the state, although such political assessments remain the position of the Governor’s supporters.
Kierian said the group’s focus was to communicate government programmes and interventions at the ward and unit levels.
• On Sterling Global and ‘Unadod’
The Labour aide also addressed the controversy surrounding the Governor’s recent comments on investors and the Ibibio expression, “Unadod.”
He said the Governor had not mentioned any particular investor by name and argued that businesses operating in the state should engage government where they required intervention.
Kierian also disclosed that government officials were scheduled to meet representatives of Sterling Global over complaints relating to roads, farmlands, pipelines, land acquisition and other issues.
He said the government had compiled the issues for discussion with the company, stressing that the objective was to resolve the matters through dialogue and prevent aggrieved communities from taking the law into their own hands.
“We don’t want the people to take the law into their own hands,” he said.
• Akwa Ibom at 39
Kierian finally described the 39th anniversary of Akwa Ibom as an opportunity to showcase projects and interventions across the state.
He pointed to the commissioning of projects during the anniversary period, as well as developments in transportation, aviation, healthcare and other sectors.
He said the administration’s focus should ultimately be measured by the effect of its policies on ordinary residents.
For Kierian, however, the most important part of the Governor’s record remains the treatment of workers and retirees.
He said the settlement of inherited obligations, salary improvements, recruitment, housing, health insurance, pensions and sustained engagement with labour had created what he described as a stronger relationship between government and organised labour.
“The Governor has made the job easy for me,” Kierian said, attributing the relative stability in labour relations to what he described as the Governor’s willingness to listen, take decisions and address workers’ concerns.
• Political claims
Sir Akpan expressed confidence that Governor Eno and the APC would retain substantial support in the state in 2027, describing the election as a “walkover” for the party.
He also dismissed the prospect of serious competition from opposition parties.
Those remarks represent Mr Akpan’s political assessment as a supporter of the Governor and APC, rather than an independently established electoral outcome.
He said the group’s campaign would focus on presenting the administration’s record to voters at the grassroots.
• Labour and the Governor’s second term
He said the relationship between the government and labour would remain important as the 2027 political season approaches.
He argued that workers were not being asked to support the Governor merely on the basis of political slogans, but could assess issues such as salary payments, gratuities, pensions, promotions, recruitment and other welfare interventions.
“The workers are happy,” he said, adding that the administration’s labour policies had helped create a stronger relationship between government and organised labour.
He said ARISE With RENEWED HOPE INITIATIVE would continue to take the administration’s message to communities, wards and units across the state as the 2027 election approaches.
