…Ready to offset allowances
Abia State Government has reiterated its commitment to making workers in the state happy through special packages.
Okey Kanu, commissioner for Information and Culture, disclosed this at Government House Umuahia while briefing newsmen on the outcome of this week’s Executive Council meeting.
Kanu said that government had designed a plan to clear the Leave Allowances owed workers in the state overtime.
The Commissioner said that the Alex Otti administration was intentional and strategic in its activities to ensure Abians are positively impacted.
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“Putting all these together, you see that this government is intentional; this government is very strategic, this government is very deliberate in these activities; you can see all these coming together; the road construction, putting very strong governance architecture in place, the ease of doing business, you can see that all those things are taking us somewhere, Abia is headed in a new direction, and that new direction is the new Abia we all strive to create,” he said.
He noted that the importance of the newly signed Greater Aba Development Authority (GADA) could not be over-emphasized as it was aimed at rebuilding Aba.
According to him, by signing into law the GADA, Aba rejuvenation had metamorphosed into Greater Aba Development Authority and now had received impetus for overall development of the commercial nerve centre.
He said that the activities on road infrastructure were on course in Aba and Umuahia and other zones.
“So, road construction for us is a work in progress. Government has plans to provide alternative access roads in and out of the city (Osah road, Umuahia) to ensure that during the Yuletide Abians and residents, even visitors in the State will not go through the usual gridlock that they used to experience before now,” he said.
He further said that as part of plans to achieve ease of doing business, the government had ensured that issuance of Certificate of Occupancy in the state now takes place within 30 days.
Contributing, the Commissioner for Land and Housing,Chaka Chukwumerije disclosed that the state government simplified the issuance of certificate of occupancy adding that the Ease of Doing Business was a promise Otti made to Abians, hence, “In Abia State, we have simplified the whole process of getting the land titles. We work with just a transaction time of 30 days.”
He said it was a one stop shop, and advised that people should reach out to the Ministry through their customer care, without agents.
Speaking also, the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor, Chinedu Ekeke announced that increase in the Abia workers’ salaries was being worked out by the government.
He added that government would tackle the outstanding arrears of Leave Allowances owed workers in the State sequentially.
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Equally in his contribution, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Legislative Matters, Luke Ukara-Onyeani asserted that the Abia House of Assembly was peaceful and united, adding that the signing into law of the Greater Aba Development Authority would give impetus to the development of Aba as the commercial and economic hub of the state.
