By Suleiman Anyalewechi
Barring any last minute change of mind and/or policy direction, the Abia State Government is set to resolve the festering problems of a mountain of salary and pension arrears of the State workforce.
Governor Alex Otti on Monday, March 18, during a Media parley at the Government House Umuahia assured that his administration will put the issues of salaries and pensions arrears behind it by the end of the month.
The Source reports that Governor Otti had, on assumption, of office in May 2023, announced the inheritance from previous administrations salaries and pensions arrears running into between 40 and 45 months mostly across parastatals .
During the count down to the 2023 general elections, Otti, as the Labour Party LP gubernatorial flagbearer, had made the payments of the arrears the fulcrum of his campaign, promising to offset same within the early life of his administration.
While mounting the saddle on May 29, 2023, Governor Otti gave December of the same year as the dateline ,.
But in a New Year broadcast on January 1 2024,he apologized for his administration’s inability to keep faith with its earlier promise, citing the humongous amount involved as a major reason.
He, however, assured that the issues will be laid to rest on, or before the end of the first quarter of 2024,even if it means approaching the State House of Assembly for a Supplementary Budget.
Speaking Monday night, Governor Otti affirmed that the March ending dateline for the payments of the salaries and pensions arrears remains sacrosanct, and noted that his administration is on the verge of “putting an end to the lingering pensions and salaries arrears issues in the State.
“By the end of this month, we are going to resolve this long arrears issues. At the Executive Council meeting today (Monday, March 18) ,we had some approvals and they are guaranteed.
Very soon the pensioners will hear from us ” Governor Otti stated.
However, an impeccable source, have revealed that the pension and salary backlogs may not be cleared at once,but in batches due to the huge amount required for the exercise.
It will be recalled that in shelving the initial dateline of December 2023, the Governor had explained that the amount needed far outweighed government projected figure and as such needed some time to put things in proper perspective.
The Source Magazine was informed that much as the March ending dateline appears realistic, the possibilities of the entire arrears ,which covers about 40 months on the average being cleared at a go ,remains remote.
Nevertheless, the long pauperized workforce and the legion of beleaguered pensioners will welcome any measure, whether in full and or half that seek to ameliorate their ordeal..
