The governor of Akwa Ibom State, Umo Eno, has berated his political aide for trivialising their wages in public.

He disclosed that the lowest-paid of his numerous political appointees earns a minimum of one million naira per month.

The governor revealed this in a statement during the Town Square Meeting with the people of Ikono and Ini Federal Constituency at Ibiaku Ntok Okpo, where he elevated his PA on Protocol, Blessed Essien, to Special Assistant (SA), Public Works, for making a difference by donating a water borehole for his community.

The Governor said, “As I arrived here, they gave me one brochure by a PA who, out of the token (pay) he gets, has gone to his community to do a borehole and has reticulated it around the village. One man has done this, but some of them with political appointments are still lying to their people that the governor has done nothing. He has done nothing, and you’re still there. Some say ordinary PA, but a PA to the governor of a state cannot be ordinary.

“Hear me well, no PA earns less than a million naira. And when they want to talk, they will say it is a stipend. You call ₦1m stipend.

₦1m is not a stipend to me, it is serious money.

“So I’ve asked the Secretary of the Government to compile names of all political appointees according to their local government areas, we are going to publish it in the newspaper.”

The governor then tasked the people, saying, “call your PAs, call your SAs, SSAs, call your Commissioner, ask them, what have you done?”.

He then told Essien, “Today, you are being promoted from PA to SA (to the Governor) on Public Works.”