In fulfillment of his administration’s pledge to address lingering salary arrears, Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has initiated the payment of N17.63 billion owed to workers across various state institutions. This move comes as a relief to staff affected by arrears accrued under previous administrations.
According to a source close to the state’s Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, the payment covers institutions such as Abia State University, Uturu; Abia State Polytechnic, Aba; Abia State College of Education, Technical Arochukwu; Abia State Teaching Hospital, Aba; and the Health Management Board, Umuahia. Other institutions include the College of Health Sciences, Aba, the Abia State Universal Basic Education Board, and the Secondary Education Management Board.
In an official statement, Kanu confirmed, “The Accountant General’s office has commenced disbursement to verified workers, with a total sum of N17,629,767,342.09 allocated for this purpose. The payment will follow a structured 12-month amortization plan, with the first tranche already released. This approach ensures that critical areas of governance are not neglected due to financial constraints.”
Further corroborating the development, Ukoha Njoku, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, noted that Governor Otti has prioritized N1.5 billion monthly towards clearing the N18 billion salary backlog over the next year. “Governor Otti is gratified by the overwhelming joy of Abia workers as they begin to receive their long-overdue entitlements, contrasting sharply with the bitterness of those previously denied access to statutory benefits,” Njoku said.
The payment comes after the former Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Mike Akpara, disclosed that the Otti administration had inherited billions in unpaid salary arrears. Akpara had outlined plans to clear the debts in tranches, ensuring that the state’s financial stability remains intact while addressing salary issues across key sectors.
With workers in institutions such as Abia State Polytechnic owed 33 months, the College of Education, Arochukwu owed 22 months, and Abia State University owed 11 months, the impact of these payments is significant. The state government has already disbursed arrears for April and May to workers at Abia State University, signaling a new era of financial accountability and workers’ welfare under Governor Otti’s leadership.
