Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has sworn in 13 Local Government Chairmen and charged them to be accountable to the people especially now that they have full financial autonomy.

Nwifuru stated this in Abakaliki during the swearing ceremony of the 13 elected chairmen of Local Government Council further charged to embark on infrastructural development projects that will have direct impart on the people.

He tasked them to take care of their stakeholders especially their traditional rulers and those that helped them to win elections warning them of the danger of neglecting them.

He warned them to be prudent in their spending of public funds now they have full autonomy to avoid being disgraced, adding that he will fight them dirty if they deviate from what they supposed to do.

In another development, he approved the payment of Seventy Thousand Minimum Wage to Civil Servants under the employ of the State noting that minimum wage is not a salary increment.

According to the Governor, 70 thousand naira minimum wage entails that the least payment of are workers is 70 thousand naira and not the entire workforce.

He directed relevant government authorities to draft out modalities for the payment of the New Minimum Wage commencing September.

The Governor, however, frowned at the lackadaisical manner at which government projects awarded as contract to prominent leaders of the state were handled, especially the housing estates at Izo Autonomous Community in Ishielu Local Government.

He gave a marching order to the Commissioner for Housing to ensure the painting of the houses immediately.

He further called on the people of Ebonyi State not to hesitate to report government projects suffering delay by contractors, even as he said anyone working against his government is working against the interest of Izhi-Nnodo Ekumenyi.