Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, yesterday reiterated his administration’s resolve to regularly pay the salaries of the state workforce despite the present economic crunch in the nation.

Obiano, who spoke at the commemoration of the 2015 Civil Service Day, described the civil service as the cornerstone of his administration. He said that no responsible government goes to sleep when its workforce is having sleepless nights.

The governor stressed that in the past one year of his administration he has continued to demonstrate a great deal of sensitivity to the plight of workers.

In his words, “A few weeks after I was sworn-in as your governor, we took bold steps to look into the difficulties workers were having in transporting themselves to Awka from various parts of the state.

“Consequently, we provided four buses to convey workers from Onitsha, Otuocha, Nnewi and Ekwulobia to and from Awka. We also donated three buses to NLC, NUC and JNC.

“Similarly, less than one year into my administration, we increased workers’ salaries by 15%.

“I also assured you that I would do more if our Internally Generated Revenue grows. Interestingly, we increased salaries at a time when oil prices were crashing and governments were looking for bailouts.

“In spite of the prevailing difficulties, we have kept our promise to always pay your salaries regularly.”

Governor Obiano said that he is making efforts to ensure that promotion and conversion of some categories of workers are done as at when due. He said: “We do all this because we know that you matter. We know that people matter. We know that a government that does not place the people first is doomed

“That was why we did not hesitate to review the case of the 135 staff of ABS that were laid off just before my administration came into place. We made sure that the affected staff were all re-absorbed into the system.

“Not quite long ago, we gave out 50kg bags of rice to all civil servants in Anambra State. That was our own little way of telling you that you matter to us. It is our plan to sustain that gesture as soon as the economic downturn in the country melts away.”

Obiano called on the state workforce to reciprocate the gesture by performing optimally.

Earlier in his address, the Head of Service, Mr. Chidi Ezeoke, commended Obiano and his predecessor, Mr. Peter Obi, for their demonstrated commitment to the welfare of the state’s workforce. He hailed Obiano for being a friendly governor who listens to his people and tries his best to meet their needs.

•Photo shows Governor Obiano.