The Akwa Ibom State Government has paid more than N90 billion out of N111 billion in inherited gratuity liabilities owed to retired public servants, the state Head of Civil Service, Mrs Elsie Peters, has said.

Peters disclosed this on Monday in Uyo during a media parley marking the commencement of the 2026 Public Service Day celebration.

She said the payment was among the major interventions by Governor Umo Eno’s administration to improve workers’ welfare and strengthen the state’s public service.

According to her, the government remains committed to progressively clearing the outstanding balance.

Peters also said the administration had maintained regular salary payments, implemented an N80,000 minimum wage from November 1, 2024, and sustained the 13th-month salary introduced by Eno in 2023 and popularly known as “Eno-Mber”.

On recruitment, she said the government had recruited or approved the employment of approximately 7,069 personnel to address manpower shortages across the public service.

She explained that about 4,000 general workers had been recruited by May 2026, while approval had been given for 1,000 additional primary school teachers.

She added that 766 personnel had been recruited into the health sector and other critical areas, bringing the total number recruited or approved to approximately 7,069.

Peters said the recruitment had helped strengthen institutional capacity and improve service delivery across the state.

She also disclosed that 150 completed two-bedroom expandable houses under the Grace Estate initiative had been allocated free of charge to civil servants on Grade Levels 01 to 08 through a raffle.

The Head of Service further said the state had launched its Health Insurance Scheme for civil servants, with the government fully paying premiums for junior workers.

She said the various interventions reflected the administration’s efforts to translate its policies into tangible improvements in the welfare of workers and citizens.