Abia commences payment of N18b arrears of salary owed workers by past administrations

From Okey Sampson, Umuahia

Abia State Government said it has commenced payment of the arrears of salaries owed workers of institutions in the state by previous administrations amounting to about N18b.

A statement by the Commisioner for Information, Okey Kanu said the gesture was in line with the promise of Governor Alex Otti to defray arrears of salaries owed workers of institutions in the State by previous administrations.

The terse statement read in part, “The exercise is in line with the promise of Governor Alex Otti to defray arrears of salaries owed workers of institutions in the State by previous administrations.

“The office of the Accountant General has commenced the payment of the arrears to all verified workers amounting to N17, 629,767,342,09 only.

“The Abia state Government wishes to state that the payment will follow a 12- month armortization plan with the first batch already disbursed to the affected institutions. This structured payment is meant to ensure that other areas of governance do not suffer from lack of attention due to limited financial resources.

“By this development, the Dr Alex Otti- led administration has once more demonstrated its commitment to the promotion and sustenance of the welfare of Abia State civil servants at all times”, the statement added.