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Laleye Dipo in Minna

The Niger State Government yesterday began the payment of N20,000 wage award to its workers in the civil service.

The state Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, had at a stakeholders meeting two weeks ago announced the plan to pay the civil servants the award to cushion the biting effect of high cost of food items in the state.

It could not be confirmed if local government staff will benefit from the wage award.

Many civil servants, ������Ƶ investigation revealed, started receiving the alerts for the payment yesterday morning and were seen rushing to the banks or the POS to withdraw the money.

Some of the workers, who were spoken to, appreciated the governor for the “good gesture” but asked him to pay their outstanding leave grants and other allowances.

A reliable source at the Ministry of Finance, which wants to remain anonymous, confirmed the story.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Bologi Ibrahim, when contacted, confirmed the story, saying: “My principal is a man that fulfills promises made.”

Ibrahim added that: “There are more goodies for the workers and the entire people of the state from where that came from.”