Alex Otti, the governor of Abia State, has declared that the state will start paying the verified pension and gratuity arrears that have not been paid since 2001. He describes the backlog as a burden that the state can no longer ignore.
Alex Otti said that his administration has finished a comprehensive evaluation of all unresolved claims during his monthly media conference at Government House in Umuahia. The exercise, which was conducted in conjunction with the Nigerian Union of Pensioners, resulted in the submission of a comprehensive report.
“The committee that we established between members of my administration and the national body of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners has just turned in the report,” Otti stated.
As you may remember, we chose to reexamine it following appeals, and we have done so. The fact that pensions have been unpaid since 2001 and that there are more than N60 billion in verified outstanding pensions is depressing.
He emphasized that his administration would address the arrears head-on, characterizing them as a massive burden spanning more than 20 years. “Government is ongoing, and you handle whatever is given to you. You choose all of them if they are assets or liabilities. We don’t hesitate to find a solution,” he declared.
Retirees were reassured by the governor that the uncertain times were passed. “One thing I would like to assure our pensioners is that their gratuity will be paid gradually,” he stated, noting that serving employees’ salary will not change.
Otti also established a strict deadline for correction and addressed the salary delay impacting recently hired teachers. “I’ve told everyone that until all impacted teachers are paid, they cannot take a weekend. Everyone impacted would get their salaries by the end of Sunday, he stated.
In just two weeks, 27,980 applications were submitted through the state’s recruitment portal, which was recently reactivated to hire 4,000 instructors. According to the governor, the turnout demonstrated confidence in the procedure. Like the last round, he pledged a straightforward and uncluttered selection process.
“You can go home and sleep knowing full well that if you qualify, you will be taken, and if you don’t qualify, no matter who you know, you will not be taken,” stated Alex Otti.
He mentioned that the hiring process for medical staff was about finished, with some candidates from abroad.
SBM Intelligence ranked Abia as the most prepared state for medical emergencies, according to recent national rankings that Otti cited.
In terms of intra-city transportation affordability, the state likewise led the Kevlin Index. He claimed that the gap was “like day and night” between the average fare of ₦542 in Abia and ₦1,399 in the state with the lowest ranking.
In order to further reduce transportation expenses, he confirmed that Abia’s fleet of recently purchased electric buses would be put into service by the end of the year.
