Delta 13th-Month Salary: Bill Moves to Make Workers’ Extra Pay Permanent
By Akin Alade
Delta State civil servants could be heading into a new era of institutionalised worker welfare as the state government moves to make the payment of a 13th-month salary a permanent statutory entitlement rather than a benefit dependent on the discretion of a sitting governor.
The initiative represents a significant shift in the administration’s approach to workers’ welfare, with the government seeking to protect the additional salary payment from future political changes and ensure continuity beyond the tenure of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori.
An executive bill designed to give legal backing to the 13th-month salary policy has already passed through the Delta State House of Assembly and is awaiting the governor’s assent.
Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Charles Aniagwu, disclosed the development in Asaba, explaining that the legislation was intended to ensure that workers continued to enjoy the benefit irrespective of who occupies the Government House in future.
The development takes the policy beyond the conventional practice in which special salary bonuses and welfare packages introduced by an administration can be altered or discontinued by a successor.
Once signed into law, the 13th-month salary would have statutory backing, strengthening the expectation that successive administrations would maintain the payment in accordance with the legislation.
Another major feature of the policy is the size of the additional payment.
According to Aniagwu, the 13th-month salary will not be calculated merely on workers’ basic salaries. Instead, eligible civil servants are expected to receive an additional payment equivalent to what they normally earn as their full December salary.
In practical terms, workers would receive their regular December salary alongside another full salary-equivalent payment under the 13th-month arrangement.
The government believes the initiative could provide considerable financial relief to workers, particularly during the end-of-year period when households traditionally face increased expenditure.
Beyond its immediate impact on individual workers, the additional salary could also have wider implications for the local economy as increased disposable income among thousands of civil servants may translate into higher consumer spending.
The Oborevwori administration has linked the sustainability of the policy to improvements in Delta State’s revenue position.
Aniagwu said the state’s Internally Generated Revenue increased from about ₦75 billion annually in 2023 to approximately ₦204 billion, arguing that further investments and expanding economic activities could strengthen the revenue base needed to sustain government obligations.
The government has also pointed to anticipated economic activities at the Koko Free Trade Zone as one of the potential contributors to future tax revenues.
For workers, however, perhaps the most significant aspect of the development is the attempt to remove uncertainty surrounding the continuation of the benefit.
Welfare initiatives introduced through executive decisions can sometimes become vulnerable when administrations change. Giving the 13th-month salary legislative backing is therefore intended to create greater predictability for the state workforce.
The move also comes amid broader efforts by the Delta State Government to improve compensation and working conditions in the public sector.
Governor Oborevwori recently approved a new salary structure for academic staff of Delta State-owned universities, effective from August 2026, while a new structure for non-academic employees of the universities and other state tertiary institutions takes effect from September.
The administration has presented these measures as part of a wider programme aimed at improving workers’ welfare while strengthening public institutions.
Attention will now turn to Governor Oborevwori’s assent to the 13th-month salary bill.
If signed into law, Delta would move from merely operating an additional salary policy to establishing a legal framework intended to preserve the benefit beyond the lifespan of the present administration.
For civil servants, that distinction could prove crucial: the 13th-month salary would no longer be viewed simply as a special gesture from one government but as an established component of the state’s worker-welfare framework.
