Delta Governor Reveals ₦503,000 Monthly Salary, Says Permanent Secretaries Earn ₦900,000

Asaba, Delta State – Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, has made a surprising disclosure about the state’s salary structure, revealing that his monthly salary of ₦503,000 is significantly lower than the ₦900,000 earned by Permanent Secretaries in the state. He also disclosed that the Head of Service earns ₦1 million monthly, making it the highest-paid civil service position in Delta State. The governor made the revelation on Thursday during the inauguration of 12 four-bedroom terraced duplexes for Permanent Secretaries and the presentation of 12 official vehicles to newly appointed Permanent Secretaries in Asaba, the state capital. His remarks, captured in a video posted by ARISE TV on YouTube, have sparked widespread discussions about salary structures in the public service.

According to Oborevwori, the state government increased the salaries of Permanent Secretaries in response to their complaints that some Directors were earning almost the same amount as them. “When the Permanent Secretaries said most of the Directors are receiving almost the same thing with them, we increased their money. Today, Permanent Secretaries… Your salary is 900, my salary is 503,000, Governor’s salary. Head of Service is one million. It’s clear,” he said. The governor added with a touch of humour, “So, you know some of them don’t want their husbands to know how much they are receiving.”

The salary increase for top civil servants was part of a broader welfare package approved by the governor. In June 2026, Oborevwori approved over 50 per cent increment in the salaries of the Head of Service and Permanent Secretaries, alongside a threefold increase in cash prizes for outstanding public servants. This adjustment came after concerns were raised about salary compression, where Directors in the civil service were earning almost the same as their supervising Permanent Secretaries.

READ ALSO:

• Okocha Ignites Fresh GOAT Debate: Nigerian Legend Says Messi Is ‘Art,’ Ronaldo Is ‘Goalscorer Like Haaland’
• Just When You Thought Fuel Prices Were Falling – Dangote Refinery Pulls the Trigger Again
• History in Makkah: Nigerian Teen Wins Prestigious Qur’anic Contest, Breaks 46-Year Gender Barrier

Oborevwori also announced that his administration had prioritised the welfare of civil servants, noting that 302 public officers had benefited from the Public Officers’ Vehicle Loan Scheme, while 119 others had accessed the Public Officers’ Housing Loan Scheme. Additionally, civil servants interested in agriculture have been provided with farm inputs to enable them to generate extra income while contributing to food production in the state. The governor stated that 450 senior management officers had been sponsored to participate in a seven-weekend training programme organised in partnership with the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria.

The governor further disclosed that Delta State was among the first states to implement the new national minimum wage after consultations with relevant stakeholders, including the Head of Service, the Commissioner for Information, and the Nigeria Labour Congress. He also announced the approval of a 13th-month salary for civil servants in the state, scheduled to commence from December 2026. The governor disclosed that the state government is in the process of sending an executive bill to the Delta State House of Assembly to give this gesture legal backing. “So, it is something that is compulsory. By the time it has legal backing, even when I leave office in 2031, they will still be paying you your 13th month salary,” he said.

The governor noted that the appointment of the 12 Permanent Secretaries in May ensured that all 25 local government areas in Delta State are now represented at the Permanent Secretary level in the state civil service. He emphasised that the appointments were based strictly on merit and were not influenced by political recommendations. “The process was properly done. Not by saying, even the one that was appointed in my place, I don’t even know the person. All the Permanent Secretaries appointed, no one was recommended by anybody, but by merit,” he said.

The governor’s salary disclosure has generated mixed reactions. While some commend his transparency, others have questioned the salary structure that allows top civil servants to earn more than the state’s chief executive. Critics argue that the revelation highlights a disconnect between government officials and ordinary citizens struggling with the cost of living crisis, noting that millions of Deltans can barely afford a single meal a day amid skyrocketing food and fuel prices. Supporters, however, view the disclosure as a demonstration of the governor’s commitment to transparency and the welfare of civil servants, noting the various initiatives his administration has introduced to improve the lot of state workers.

Oborevwori urged civil servants and political appointees to shun absenteeism, nepotism, waste, inefficiency, bribery and corruption, while promising continued investment in infrastructure and measures to improve service delivery.

Delta Governor Reveals ₦503,000 Monthly Salary, Says Permanent Secretaries Earn ₦900,000

Atiku’s Fuel Subsidy Plan Unrealistic, Destructive, Says Presidency

The Presidency has criticised former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s proposal to restore petrol subsidy if elected president, describing the policy as fiscally unsustainable, retrogressive and incompatible with the changes that have taken place in Nigeria’s petroleum sector.

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, made the position known in a statement on Thursday titled, “Restoring Petrol Subsidies: Atiku’s Volte-Face and Desperation for Power.”

Onanuga said Atiku’s position represented a departure from his previous stance against petrol subsidy, arguing that the former vice-president had now embraced the policy for political reasons ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

According to him, Atiku had previously advocated the removal of fuel subsidy but had now “opportunistically recanted” the position in an attempt to appeal to Nigerians facing economic hardship.

The presidential aide, however, said Atiku had the constitutional right to propose alternative policies, but insisted that Nigerians were entitled to know how a renewed subsidy regime would be funded and implemented.

He explained that petrol subsidy was not money sitting in government coffers for distribution to motorists, but rather the difference between the regulated pump price and the actual cost of supplying the product.

Onanuga said restoring the old system would require a new legal, fiscal and administrative framework, particularly because the Petroleum Industry Act had provided for the removal of petrol subsidy by the end of June 2023.

READ ALSO:

• Former MFM Pastor Femi Jimoh Dies After Years of Detention, Legal Dispute
• North Korea Fires 10+ Missiles Hours After Trump Signals Fresh Kim Summit
• 40 Feared Dead as Overloaded Boat Carrying Farmers and Children Capsizes in Sokoto

He argued that President Tinubu merely accelerated the implementation of a reform already contemplated under the PIA by announcing the subsidy removal in May 2023.

The presidential aide also said Nigeria’s petroleum industry had changed significantly since the removal of subsidy, particularly with the emergence of large-scale domestic refining capacity.

He cited the Dangote Refinery as a major development that had altered the dynamics of the downstream petroleum sector, arguing that the country was gradually moving away from dependence on imported refined products.

Onanuga warned that returning to a subsidised petrol regime could undermine investments in local refining and reverse the gains recorded in domestic production.

He further argued that subsidy restoration would raise questions about who would bear the financial burden of selling petrol below its economic cost.

“If petrol is sold below its economic cost, someone must absorb the difference,” he said, noting that the burden would ultimately fall on public finances through reduced allocations, increased borrowing, higher public debt or reduced spending on infrastructure and social services.

The Presidency also rejected claims that the removal of subsidy had created a N30tn windfall for the Federal Government, describing such a figure as inaccurate.

Onanuga said the government had instead benefited from reduced fiscal pressure following the discontinuation of petrol price discounts and reforms in the foreign exchange market.

He added that the three tiers of government shared about N3tn from the Federation Account in July, describing the development as evidence of improved government revenues.

According to him, the country’s transition towards domestic refining and locally processed petroleum products could conserve foreign exchange, strengthen energy security, create jobs and support industrial development.

The presidential aide acknowledged that the removal of subsidy had increased the cost of living and placed considerable pressure on households and businesses.

He said the Tinubu administration was pursuing alternative measures to reduce the impact of high energy costs, including the promotion of Compressed Natural Gas, which he described as significantly cheaper than petrol for transportation.

Onanuga urged political actors to provide Nigerians with detailed fiscal calculations whenever they proposed policies such as subsidy restoration.

He asked Atiku to explain the annual cost of the proposed subsidy, the revenue source that would finance it, whether the government would borrow to fund it and whether amendments to existing petroleum-sector laws would be required.

He also questioned how any new subsidy regime would be monitored to prevent the abuses and corruption associated with the previous system.

The Presidency maintained that Nigeria needed sustainable solutions to the rising cost of living rather than a return to what it described as an opaque and financially burdensome petroleum pricing system.

It called for a broader debate on economic policy, but insisted that such discussions must take into account the realities of Nigeria’s current petroleum market and the country’s growing domestic refining capacity.

“Political promises must be backed by fiscal arithmetic,” Onanuga said, urging all political actors, including Atiku, to present Nigerians with the full fiscal and legal implications of any proposal to restore petrol subsidy.

Atiku’s Fuel Subsidy Plan Unrealistic, Destructive, Says Presidency