The Akwa Ibom State Government has issued a strong denial against circulating reports that claim 15% of workers' salaries are being compulsorily deducted for tithes.
The government has labeled these allegations as entirely false and a malicious effort to damage the reputation of the state administration and Governor Umo Eno.
The controversy stemmed from a recent online report that used purported payslips to dispute the Governor's previous statement that his personal assistants earn no less than one million naira monthly. The report further alleged that the Governor had instituted a mandatory 15% tithe deduction from salaries, applicable to all workers irrespective of their faith.
In an official response, the State Commissioner for Information, Aniekan Umanah, clarified that the document in question was related to standard Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) tax deductions for specific political appointees, not religious contributions.
Umanah provided a breakdown of earnings for the governor's aides, stating that their gross monthly pay and allowances range from ₦200,000 to over ₦1.4 million. He confirmed that full Personal Assistants do indeed receive a minimum of one million naira monthly in combined salary and allowances.
He emphasized that all workers, both in the public and private sectors, are constitutionally required to pay taxes and questioned why this routine obligation was being misrepresented as a tithe.
The state government has announced that it is investigating the source of the report and will take steps to ensure those responsible are held accountable. The public is urged to disregard the story, and media outlets are warned against publishing unverified information, with the government vowing to pursue legal action against purveyors of fake news.
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