|
Listen to article
|
The June salary of Abia workers has been duly acknowledged. Governor Alex Otti, during his inaugural speech, made a firm promise to remunerate workers on or before the 28th day of every month.
He not only assured them of receiving their June salaries on time but also emphasised his commitment to ending any form of discrimination between core civil servants and workers in parastatals and agencies. Unlike his predecessor, who prioritized only the core civil servants, Governor Otti pledged to treat all employees fairly and equally.
The Governor had also reiterated this position during a recent press briefing conducted by his Special Adviser on Finance, Mr. Michael Agbara.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by his Chief Press Secretary, Kazie Uko, Governor Otti gave a clear directive to the Accountant General of the state. He instructed the Accountant General to promptly initiate the payment of June salaries to the workers. This demonstrates Otti’s proactive approach and his commitment to ensuring timely compensation for the employees of the state.
Read also: My Salary As Minister Is Only ₦942,000 Monthly – Ngige
Following the departure of former Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, Abia workers, who had been on an indefinite strike due to unpaid salary arrears, are now raising concerns about enduring several months of pending salaries.
The immediate-past Governor Okezie Ikpeazu administration left doctors at Abia State University Teaching Hospital Aba (ABSUTH) unpaid for a period of 24 months, whereas their counterparts in the Health Management Board (HMB) were owed for 13 months.
Comrade M. I Ekwenye, the Chairman of the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council and also the Chairman of the Nigeria Civil Service Union, Abia State chapter, confirmed that workers in the state have commenced receiving their salary alerts.
Applauding Governor Otti for his commitment, Comrade M. I Ekwenye commended him for fulfilling his promises and encouraged him to persevere until all outstanding arrears are fully addressed.
‘Yes, some of the workers have started getting alerts. We are happy our Governors has lived up to his promise of paying salaries on or before the 28th day of the month.’
‘Our prayer is that God will keep him, and that he will continue with this until every arrear is cleared.’
In an update shared with reporters, Ambassador, a staff member of the state-owned newspapers, shared that he received his salary for the month of June on Wednesday. He expressed his sincere thanks to Governor Otti for fulfilling his promise and encouraged him to continue until all outstanding arrears are defrayed.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, another civil servant employed in the Ministry of Education confirmed that he had received the alert for his salary in June.
In a similar vein, a staff member of the Ministry of Finance confirmed that they had received their payments. However, he added that individuals who had not been included in the ongoing biometric data verification exercise in certain Ministries were yet to be paid.
Governor Otti had placed strong emphasis on the verification of workers in the state to tackle the problem of ghost workers.
The substantial backlog of salary and pension arrears was identified as one of the primary factors leading to the defeat of the long-standing Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led Government in Abia State during the 2023 general elections.
