Sophia Michaels
Gov Alex Otti
Civil servants in Abia state have received their salaries for the month of June.
Gov. Alex Otti had during his inaugural speech, promised to pay workers on or before the 28th of every month.
He also promised not to discriminate between the core civil servants and workers in parastatals and agencies unlike his predecessor who prioritised only core civil servants.
He had also reaffirmed the position in a recent press briefing by his Special Adviser on Finance, Mr Michael Agbara.
Otti in a statement Tuesday by his Chief Press Secretary, Kazie Uko, directed the Accountant General of the state, to immediately commence payment of June salary to workers.
Abia workers who were on indefinite strike following backlog of salary arrears before the immediate-past Governor Okezie Ikpeazu left office, have been complaining of several months of backlog of salary arrears.
Doctors in Abia State University Teaching Hospital Aba ABSUTH, were owed for 24 months by the immediate-past Governor Okezie Ikpeazu administration, while their counterparts in Health Management Board, HMB, were owed for 13 months.
Confirming the payment to our Correspondent, the Chairman, Joint Public Service Negotiating Council, Abia State Council who also doubles as the Chairman, Nigeria Civil Service Union, Abia State chapter, Comrade M. I Ekwenye, said workers in the state had started receiving their salary alert.
He commended Gov. Otti for keeping to his words, and urged him not to relent until all outstanding arrears were cleared.
”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”.
A staff of the state-owned newspapers, Ambassador, told Vanguard that he received his June salary on Wednesday.
He thanked Gov. Otti for making real his promise, and urged him to sustain it until the outstanding arrears were defrayed.
Another civil servant in the Ministry of Education who pleaded not to be mentioned, also confirmed to Vanguard that he had received alert of his June salary.
He, however, said that some of his colleagues whose bank had network challenge were yet to receive any payment alert but blamed it on baking challenges.
Similarly, a staff of the Ministry of Finance said they had been paid, adding however, that in some Ministries those who had not been captured in the on-going biometric data verification exercise were yet to be paid.
Gov Otti had also emphasized that workers in the state would need to be verified to checkmate ghost worker syndrome.
Backlog of salary and pension arrears was part of the major reason the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP-led Government that had precised over the affairs of Abia State for over two decades lost power in the 2023 general elections.
