The Akwa Ibom State Government has denied claims that 15% of workers’ salaries are being deducted as tithes, calling the report ‘false’ and ‘malicious’.
The report, circulated on Saturday, cited Akwa Ibom payslips and alleged that Governor Umo Eno deducts a compulsory tithe from personal assistants’ salaries, irrespective of their church affiliation.
It also questioned the governor’s earlier statement that no personal assistant earns less than ₦1 million monthly.
In response, Commissioner for Information, Rt. Hon. Aniekan Umanah, issued a statement on Sunday in Uyo, describing the story as “a reckless fabrication, a deliberate falsehood, and a failed attempt to smear the image of the government and the Governor.”
Umanah explained that the remittance forms shown in the report related only to statutory PAYE tax deductions for certain categories of personal aides to the governor.
He added: “For the avoidance of doubt, there are various categories of aides to the Governor whose gross monthly salaries and allowances range from ₦200,000 to ₦1,432,000, including Honorary Special Advisers, Senior Special Assistants, Special Assistants, Personal Assistants, and Project Supervisors. Every worker in Akwa Ibom State, whether an appointee or a civil servant, pays taxes. Similarly, private sector workers also remit their PAYE taxes to the State Internal Revenue Service (AKIRS). One wonders why the routine payment of tax, which is a constitutional responsibility of every citizen, is now being mischievously twisted to mean tithes. Tithes to whom, and for what, if we may ask?”
He clarified that a full Personal Assistant to the Governor earns no less than ₦1 million in salary and allowances, emphasizing that the deductions reflected in the alleged credit alert were statutory tax obligations, not tithes.
Umanah added that the matter is under investigation, with steps underway to hold those behind the report accountable.
He urged the public to disregard the story and cautioned media organisations against publishing unverified claims, warning that the government will take legal action against purveyors of fake news.