By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Abia State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has accused Governor Alex Otti of embarking on a mission to destroy the fabrics of the State Civil Service.

The Party’s alarm is coming on the heels of the reversal of all Command promotion exercises carried out within the Civil Service in the last eight years by the Abia state Government.

A circular from the office of the Head of Service HoS, Ngozi Obioma, on Tuesday July 9, 2024, directed all beneficiaries of Command promotions  between 2015 and 2023 to revert to status quo.

The circular cited the need to restore normalcy to the system as a major reason.

But the PDP has insisted that the move is in bad taste, anti-people and against the ethos of public service.

In a statement issued on Wednesday  July 10, 2024, by its spokesperson Abraham Amah, and made available to The Source, the PDP expressed concern that since mounting the saddle a year ago, the Labour Party, LP-led administration in the State has cultivated the penchant for not following due process in dealing with matters affecting the State Civil Service.

“A few days after he assumed office as the Governor of Abia State, Dr Alex Otti, summarily suspended all the Permanent Secretaries in the Civil Service without due process,and later sacked them without recourse to the provisions of the Abia Civil Service rules .

“A few weeks into his Governorship, Dr Alex Otti, sacked all Civil Servants who had served as Directors for upwards of eight years, even when they were not due for retirement.

“He sacked more than 15,000 Abia Civil Servants without following due process and Civil Service rules and subjected the remaining ones to endless verifications with many owed Salaries in the last 13 months that he has been the Governor.

The issue of salary payment has become an existential threat to Abia workers even in the face of increased earnings by the State from the Federation Allocation Account Committee, FAAC.

Presently, two labour unions – the Academic Staff Union Universities ASUU Abia state University branch and the organized labour comprising the NLC ,and TUC both of Abia state branch are spoiling for war with Dr Alex Otti, on account of unpaid salaries in his 13 month tenure and his refusal  to pay the N35,000 wage award approved by the Federal Government” Amah stated.

The Abia PDP said for the Abia Government to reverse the Command promotions that were carried out lawfully ,amounts to a pathetic anathema ,which speaks to the continuous destruction of Abia state governance structure by the Governor.

“This reflects his undying hatred for the PDP ,especially the immediate past Government . Incidentally ,he has failed to learn ,and this is made manifest in the embarrassing mistakes he has made in Government which he has surreptitiously tried in to cover up by bringing back the sacked civil servants as consultants .

“The Abia PDP considers it insensitive that Dr Alex Otti, will reverse the promotion and order  civil servants to return to  prior levels including the reversal of their salary grades ,in the face of excruciating hardship, soaring inflation, an economic downturn and rising food prices .

“Couldn’t the Government have devised another method of implementing this policy going forward than reversing the promotions and salaries that workers have built in the last eight years ?.” the PDP queried .

The Party has, therefore, called on the Governor to apply a humane approach on his dealings with not just civil service matters ,but all other issues that concern the citizenry.

The Party, however, urged  civil servants to continue to engage peacefully and meaningfully with the system for the reversal of all  punitive and anti people policies.

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

Street trading and other road side business activities are still going on in many parts of Aba ,the commercial hub of Abia state, despise  commencement of the no-street-trading order imposed by  State authorities.

Most of the road side business operators appear not to be perturbed,amidst the beginning of the enforcement of the ban order by the State’s Harmonized Taskforce since Tuesday July 2 2024.

This is even as the President General of the Abia State Almagamated Traders Association, ASMATA ,Sir Alphonsus Udeigbo has called on the traders and other residents to imbibe the culture of adhering to lawful orders of the Government.

The Source reports that for most street traders and business actors, particularly at the Ngwa/Mosque/Old Court roads ,St Michaels,Ehi ,Osisioma junction, Enugu/PortHarcourt Expressway junction by Ariaria International Market and its environs, it is business as usual.

Findings have revealed that street trading, massive displaying of wares on public facilities especially drainages and roads is still heavily going on.

The over three- thousand street traders who have over the years colonized the mosque-Etchie- Old Court roads ,constituting nuisance at the entrance gate of the Abia State College of Health Sciences and Management Technology Aba have continued to carry on undeterred.

However, the enforcement taskforce has so far recorded successes at places like main park ,Old Port Harcourt road by Eziukwu road junction,Abayi,  Afule and Umungasi markets junction .

Defaulters’ wares were confiscated in all the cleared areas by the taskforce team,.

Although the Abia State  Harmonized Taskforce Chairman who is also the state Commissioner for Local Government Affairs and Chieftaincy Matters, Prince Uzo Nwachukwu, was not available for comments as at the time of reporting, a taskforce team member told this Magazine that they are all out to enforce the no street trading order.

He assured that the taskforce will soon reach to all the identified street trading spots.

“What we are doing is not just to clear the areas concerned . Anywhere we clear, we put machineries in place to ensure that those cleared do not find space to come back .

“I can assure that every corner of the State that illegal and street business activities are going on will be reached .

“We are warning those involved in street trading to leave before we get to them, because there will be dare consequences for defaulters . let them not think that the  present operation is going to be like others in the past” the taskforce member stated.

In an interview with The Source on Tuesday, July 10, Chief Udeigbo reiterated his earlier call for street traders to relocate to the markets as there are more than enough shops for them.

“You see the problem is that even most of the them operating on the streets have shops inside the markets. But they will leave them and come to the roads, thereby endangering their lives and constituting nuisance to road users.

“My advice is that we Abia residents should learn to be obeying simple lawful orders.”

Sir Udeigbo who is also the Chairman of the Eziukwu Road Market Aba and the Chairman of all Chairmen of Aba markets applauded Government’s decision to ride the state of street trading.

He called on the enforcement taskforce not to succumb to blackmail and or distraction in carrying out their duties.

He, also, appealed to the State Government not to relent in its efforts to transform Abia major cities.