The Abia state government has vowed to clear the backlog of unpaid salaries, emoluments and pensions, carried over from past regime in the state, by the end of this month.
This is also it assured that government will clear outstanding unpaid gratuity owed retired officers by the out-gone administration, sequentially.
Okey Kanu, the state commissioner for Information and Culture, who said this on Tuesday during a media chat with journalists after the state weekly EXCO meeting, in Umuahia, stressed that the efforts to clear the arrears of unpaid entitlements to workers falls in-line with Governor Alex Otti’s manifesto and campaign promises to the electorate.
Prince Kanu, who was flanked by the Commissioner for Lands and Housing, Mr. Chaka Chukwumerije, Deputy chief of Staff to the governor, Mr. Chinedu Ekeke and the Special Assistant to the governor on Legislative Matters, Mr. Luke Okara, further announced that the governor has assented into Law the Greater Aba Development Authority (GADA) bill recently passed by the Abia House of Assembly.
He explained that the new Law is to give Aba a special focus as the commercial hub of the State and the geo-political zone, in general.
Said he: “Aba will help us develop Abia. If we fix Aba, we have fixed the whole Abia for businesses to boom in the region. Alex Otti is marching his manifesto with his campaign promises. ”
It will be recalled that in Abia state, gratuity due to retired officers was last paid in 2021. Sources allege that those who received theirs after 2021 did so under a cut-throat 40: 60 percent bargain with the officers in charge.
According to Kanu, government has been assured by contractors handling both the Ossah-Okpara Squire road and the Abia portion of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Express-Way, that one lane on each of the roads would be ready for use this Yuletide.
He also said that palliative works on internal roads in Aba and Umuahia are on going to give the cities new looks as well as in other zones of the state.
Adding his voice, the commissioner for Lands and Housing, Mr Chaka Chukwumerije said that his Ministry is now on campaign on the ease of doing business in Abia.
He explained that Certificates of Ownership(C-of-O) can now be obtained from his Ministry within 30 days, unlike the protracted number of years it usually took to obtain C-of-O in Abia with huge sums of money attached to it.
According to Chukwumerije, the cost of getting C-Of-O, now depends on the prevailing cost of the land at time of purchase and production of the relevant documents. One can now get a C- of- O through established modern technology within 30 days, without visiting Office of the Ministry of Lands.
Also speaking the Deputy chief of Staff to the governor, Mr. Chinedu Ekeke hinted that the state budget for 2024 has made provision for massive development of the state as well as for the anticipated increase in the salary of workers in the state.
In his own contribution, the SA to the governor on Legislative Matters, Mr Luke Okara stated that the Abia House of Assembly was peaceful and united, irrespective of political divides.
Leave a Reply