Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has announced that his administration will commence the phased payment of verified pension and gratuity arrears that have accumulated since 2001.
Speaking during his monthly media chat at Government House, Umuahia, on Friday night, Otti explained that the state had completed a comprehensive review of all outstanding pension claims.
He said the government worked closely with the Nigerian Union of Pensioners to verify the backlog before reaching a decision on payments.
“The committee we set up between the national body of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners and members of my administration has just handed in its report,” he said.
“It is disheartening that pensions have remained outstanding since 2001, and the total verified outstanding pensions is in excess of N60 billion.”
Otti described the accumulated arrears as a massive liability inherited from previous administrations, but stressed that his government was committed to addressing it.
“Government is continuous. Whatever you are handed over, you deal with it. If it is assets, if it is liability, you pick all of them. We are unafraid to work out a solution,” he said.
He reassured pensioners that their gratuities would be paid gradually, adding that workers’ salaries in the state were fully up to date.
He also addressed a payment glitch affecting newly recruited teachers, saying he had ordered officials to resolve it immediately.
“I have instructed everyone involved that they cannot have a weekend until every affected teacher is paid. By the end of Sunday, all the people who are affected will receive their salaries.”
Otti revealed that the recently reopened portal for the recruitment of 4,000 teachers attracted 27,980 applications in just two weeks.
He promised a transparent selection process, stating, “If you qualify, you will be taken. If you don’t, no matter who you know, you will not be taken.”
He added that recruitment of medical personnel was nearing completion, with some applicants coming from outside the country.
He cited recent rankings by SBM Intelligence, noting that Abia was rated the most prepared state for medical emergencies, and also topped the Kevlin Index for intra-city transport affordability.
According to him, “While a trip costs about N542 in Abia, the state that came last costs N1,399, and the difference is like day and night.”
He said newly acquired electric buses would be deployed before the end of the year to further reduce transportation costs.
Otti said road construction had resumed across Abia following the end of the rainy season, and contractors had been directed to accelerate work.
He also reported significant progress in land administration.
“Two years ago, we introduced the C-of-O-in-30-days policy. As of yesterday, we have issued about 30,562 Certificates of Occupancy, while some states have not achieved this number in eight years,” Otti noted, explaining that automation had simplified the process.
On revenue recovery, he said all debtors would be treated equally.
“We don’t look at faces; we look at numbers. Anyone who is owing will be visited by the Harmonised Task Force after due process. We are a government with a human face, but government cannot function without adequate revenue.”
The governor said the state had continued renovating and fencing schools while updating curricula.
He confirmed that 24 courses at the Abia State College of Education (Technical) and Architecture had regained accreditation.
He added that development projects were ongoing at Abia State University and Dr Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic, where students now produce waste buckets for the State Environmental Protection Agency.
Highlighting improvements in power supply and infrastructure, Otti said: “This is the Abia we envisioned.”
He also noted that the state had upgraded the NYSC camp in Bende and increased corps members’ allowances from N4,000 to between N20,000 and N50,000.
The government, he said, had also supported the Nigerian Correctional Service with perimeter fencing and a new holding centre to ease congestion.
On exercising his prerogative of mercy, Otti disclosed that the process was delayed because none of the 1,900 inmates was convicted for minor offences.
“I have asked the Zonal Coordinator to review again and identify anyone eligible for pardon as we approach year-end,” he said.
