This was sequel to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Alvila Technologies Limited said to be owned by a close associate of the governor.
Cross River Governor Ben Ayade has directed the compulsory deduction of N55,456 from the salary of every civil and public servant in the state for purchase of biofuel cookers and lamps.
The Commissioner for Climate Change, Alice Ekwu, said yesterday that the deductions would span over a period of twelve months.
This was sequel to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Alvila Technologies Limited said to be owned by a close associate of the governor.
The commissioner had written to the governor on May 19, 2017 about the company’s proposal which he (Ayade) later approved.
Part of the proposal include “That deductions be categorized into three based on the grade levels of civil servants and the cost of the product for that level.”
The state chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, John Ushie, who was said to have signed the MoU with government, did not respond to phone calls.
But a member of the Senior Staff Association, who pleaded not to be mentioned, warned that if the government went ahead to implement the deduction, workers would revolt.
“We are aware about the purported MoU and the plan by the state government to force workers to buy what they do not need. We are waiting for them to start it and we will see if this government will not regret it,” the official said.