The Rivers State Government has announced the approval of the extension of service years for teachers in the State by five extra years.
The government also increased the monthly allocation for payment of pensions and gratuities of workers from N1billiin to N2billion, as well as approved the Medium Term Expenditure Framework for the preparation of the 2025 budget.
The decision was reached at the sixth State Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Siminalayi Fubara and held at the Executive Council Chambers of Government House, Port Harcourt on Thursday.
Briefing newsmen after the meeting, the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Senibo Joe Johnson flanked by the Head of Service of Rivers State, Dr George Nwaeke and the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Peter Medee, said the State Executive Council took some far reaching decisions to put the State on the path of accelerated development, which include domestication of the national law for extension of service years of teachers, approval for additional N1billion to make monthly pension fund N2billion and the approval of the 2025 Medium Term Exoenditure Framework.
He expressed appreciation to the governor for his gracious approval and increase of monthly allocation for payment of pensions and gratuities of workers from N1billion to N2billion.
Elaborating on the approval for the teachers years of service extension the Head of State Civil Service, Dr. George Nwaeke said the new law and policy to extend the service years of teachers, put in place by the federal government will immediately be domesticated in Rivers State with only professional teachers certified by the Teachers Registration Council to be beneficiaries.
He stated that by the new policy, teachers in Rivers State will now retire at 65 years of age or 40 years of service whichever comes first.
In his brief, the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Dr Peter Medee also disclosed that the Rivers State Government has approved the Medium Term Expenditure Framework to review, forecast and prepare for the 2025 budget.
According to the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, “the Medium Term Expenditure Framework will guide the State in the preparation of the 2025 budget to check over or under budgeting and provide value for money for expected income and intended expenditures on need basis and put the State on the path of growth and development.”
He explained that Rivers State will have an expansionary budget in 2025 that will cater for the yearnings and expectations of Rivers people, and urged the people to be patient with the government as more development is being planned for them.