The Governor of Abia State, Dr Alex Otti (OFR) has assured Public Servants and Pensioners in the State that the payment of their accumulated wage bills and pensions will commence by the end of June 2023.
Otti, while speaking at the Thanksgiving Service/Reception for Hon Obi Aguocha, the newly sworn in Member for Ikwuano/Umuahia North/Umuahia South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, at the Okaiuga Nkwoegwu Central School, Ohuhu in Umuahia North LGA of Abia State, said payment of pensions would have commenced if not for the inconsistencies and fictitious names inserted in the list of Pensioners by the past government.
Governor Otti explained that the delay in salaries and arrears of pensions he promised is as a result of fictitious figures and numbers that cannot be confirmed but assured that at the end of this month, confirmed salaries and arrears of pensions shall be paid and pleaded with the people to be patient.
He restated that the debt left by the immediate past administration was enormous and vowed to offset it while assuring that he would not spend time responding to distractions and would not give excuses.
According to him, in order to determine the actual number of Pensioners, his government decided to conduct a forensic audit on them and assured that the June 2023 pension will not pass them by.
Though, he acknowledged that the task is challenging, he nonetheless added that “It’s because of the challenge that you collectively asked me to come and tackle it”.
The Abia Chief Executive accused the immediate past government of spreading falsehood by lying that it left N24billion in the state treasury while actually the Okezie Ikpeazu administration left a debt of over N191billion.
Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti also disclosed that his full cabinet would be constituted by the end of this month .He reiterated that setting up the cabinet would enable the government run properly, adding that the recent Inauguration of the State House of Assembly would give impetus to effective running of the government.
Abia Governor used the Forum to inform the people that the project of rebuilding and remodeling Umuahia as a befitting State capital by his administration will begin in the next couple of months.
The State Chief Executive lamented that the capital city of Abia, Umuahia is like a glorified village announced that in the next three months, his administration would begin the process of transforming the city to enhance it’s aesthetics, solicited support from all and sundry.
He, however, congratulated Hon. Obi Aguocha on his Inauguration as Member of the National Assembly and stressed the need for all to show gratitude to God at all times.
Delivering his welcome speech, the Host and Member representing Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency, Hon. Obi Aguocha thanked God for the opportunity to be elected to represent his people and the success of the Inauguration while pledging not to let his people down.
Representative Obi Aguocha had said it was God that made him a Member of House of Representatives which ultimately gave the people of Ohuhu their due right in the political equation of Ikwuano/Umuahia Zone.
He saluted the Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, Members of the Labour Party and people from all walks of life for coming to identify with him.
He assured his constituents and Abia citizens in general of his readiness to ensure that their due at the federal level will be brought home, even as he used the occasion to inform them that he will pursue with vigour the immediate and unconditional release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
Earlier, at the Thanksgiving Service, the Anglican Bishop of Umuahia Diocese, Rt Rev Geoffrey Ibeabuchi had tasked Aguocha to ensure that those who gave him the mandate to represent them at the House of Representatives actually have a voice in the National Assembly, describing his victory at the February 25 poll as an act of God.
Reacting to the Press, Former Abia State Commissioner for Finance under Former Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, Dr Aham Uko has drummed up support for the newly inaugurated administration of Dr Alex Otti, stating that the new administration in the State will certainly get things right in the overall infrastructural and Social Economic advancement of the State.
Dr Uko who until February,2023 was the immediate State Finance Commissioner, revealed why he resigned from the immediate past administration of Dr Ikpeazu and now supporting the succeeding Labour Party led administration in the State.
According to him, he resigned from the State Executive Council on the month of February, 2023 before the governorship election and his action to resign was prompted by dis-satisfaction and discontentment with the way things were going within the system.
Dr Uko, a Financial Analyst disclosed, “ I did everything humanly possible to correct it but it was just one man standing in an Island where nobody never saw what I was seeing and I had to leave the stage for them.
“I brought every initiative to bear on the way things were done before I took over the office, pensions were not paid, I was the one who structured the modalities for payment of pensions, I did it for upwards of fifteen months uninterrupted and they felt that I came to interrupt what they were doing and dissolved the cabinet.
The aim of dissolving the cabinet was to kick me out of the system but it was because of the cries of Pensioners and pressures that made them call me back and when I came back they stripped me of all the authorities that I had, I was just an onlooker and waited for the right time to exit from that administration”.
On the new administration in the State, Uko declared, “We now have a government’ that understands and thinks in similar manner. The government now is a government’ that I have no doubt whatsoever that they are going to get it right because Governor Otti is a one that understands, he is somebody that I have already known for the past Thirty-three years and he understands figures and has listening ears”, he disclosed.
He restated that the Election was keenly contested but God had a hand in the successful emergence of Hon. Obi Aguocha and is remarkable to the Ohuhu Community because Ambassador Empire Kanu was the last Representative from the clan.
Hon. Ukoh advised Hon. Aguocha never to forget where he is coming from and the expectations ahead for the people of Umuahia/Ikwuano Federal Constituency.
The event attracted many Dignitaries including the Speaker, Abia House of Assembly, Members of the National Assembly, Secretary to the State Government, the Head of Service among others.
