Christmas: Ebonyi civil servants to get bags of rice, N10,000 each

Civil servants, including pensioners, in Ebonyi State, Nigeria’s South-east, are to receive two bags of 5kg rice and N10,000 each as “Christmas gifts” from the state government, a senior government official has said.

The Secretary to the Ebonyi State Government (SSG), Kenneth Ugbala, who disclosed this in a statement on Thursday in Abakaliki said the N10,000 cash would be paid into the salary account of the workers.

Mr Ugbala said the state governor, David Umahi, has approved the distribution of the cash and the bags of rice.

Local government workers, as well as students of higher institutions in the state, are to benefit from the government’s largesse, according to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Mr Ugbala said the governor’s approval was in line with his “usual magnanimity” as “the father of the state”.

“All civil servants and pensioners in Ebonyi are to receive two bags of 5kg rice and N10, 000 to be paid into their salary accounts.

“All Local Government Area staff are to receive two bags of 5kg rice, tins of tomatoes, and N5, 000 to be paid into their salary accounts.

“All federal government-owned ministries, departments, and agencies in the state have been given Christmas palliatives through their leaders.

“Staff and students of both federal and state-owned tertiary institutions have also been given Christmas palliatives through their leaders,” the statement said.

The SSG thanked Mr Umahi for his “generosity for the people”.