Rivers State Government has relieved all the education secretaries in the 23 local government areas of their duties.

Also, all appointments made by them between 2007 and now have been annulled.

The Commissioner for Information, Hon Ogbonna Nwuke disclosed this yesterday while briefing Government House correspondents on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting in Port Harcourt.

Nwuke explained that henceforth, local government council chairmen are to liaise directly with the Ministry of Education on matters relating to the payment of teachers salaries and other issues that affect teachers in all the local government areas.

Similarly, the information commissioner said the State Executive Council expressed dissatisfaction that some civil servants have yet not been paid their salaries since the commencement of the automated salary payment scheme.

The executive council, he said, directed that all necessary steps be taken to ensure that affected civil servants got their salaries after proper identification.

Hon Nwuke said all ministries have been directed, through their commissioners, to compile names of all staff who are yet to be paid salaries for urgent attention in order to save the workers from unnecessary hardship.

The commissioner said council equally commended the security agencies for responding to the security challenges, and advised the people of the state to give relevant information to security operatives to enable them apprehend criminals.

He explained that the government was presently focusing attention on five key areas of infrastructural development, which include education, power supply, health, road construction and provision of potable water in Port Harcourt.

Hon Nwuke said efforts have been stepped up to provide potable water in Port Harcourt as consultants engaged by the government are already working, noting that the sum of N4billion has been set aside for that purpose.

Similarly, the executive council, the commissioner disclosed, approved the siting of the Women and Children’s Hospital at Elelenwo in the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area.

He also hinted that government commended the Ministry of Urban Development over its effort in the urban renewal programme, particularly the Njamanze axis of Port Harcourt, and promised that attention would also be focused on the removal of debris.