The Abia State government has said that the Governor, Alex Otti, was committed to rebuild the state and that a total of 70 roads have been fixed in Aba and Umuahia within the last 11 months in office.
Okey Kanu, commissioner for Information and Culture, disclosed this while briefing the press at the Government House on the outcome of this week’s executive council meeting chaired by Governor Alex Otti.
He said that most of the roads so far executed were through direct labour.
He noted that Isieketa-Obikabia road was last week completed, adding that other ongoing road projects including Ossah, Port Harcourt road Aba, Umuahia-Uzuakoli-Isukwuato-Ohafia road, the Nunya-Isukwuato road, Arochukwu-Ndi-okereke-Ozu Abam road, among other road projects were progressing.
Kanu also said that government had done a lot in the past 11 months including the offsetting the pension arrears and restoring full payment of pension to pensioners in the state.
The Abia Information boss hinted that the state government was interested in improvement of workers’ welfare in the state and was currently monitoring conversations of the Federal Government on the issue of salary increment.
He assured that the state government would make a proclamation at the appropriate time in line with what it could afford.
“I want to inform us that it’s eleven months ago that this government took over the reins of power in Abia State; it’s eleven months ago that His Excellency, Dr. Alex Otti promised Abians that he was going to rebuild the state and you will agree with me that it has been eleven months of power-parked performance by this administration.
“We’ve done so much in eleven months and that’s not sounding immodest. It’s been a case of promise made and promise kept. Last month, when the government paid outstanding pension arrears to our pensioners, there was a promise made and that promise is that as from this month (April), our pensioners were going to get 100 percent of their pensions; I want to announce to us that, that has just happened; since the 27th of this month they’ve been receiving their alerts,” Kanu said.
Chinedu Ekeke, deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor, in his contribution, said that the Alex Otti administration was interested in the welfare of the workers.
“The Federal Government is currently considering a wage review and negotiations are ongoing and at the state executive council level, we are monitoring that conversation.
“Our stand as a state government is that we do not want to go ahead of the Federal Government to make a proclamation on that because you do not know where the direction that the Federal Government is headed. So, it’s better for us to wait and then see what the Federal Government wants to do and then we now look at what we can afford as a state and then move but clearly, the state government is interested in the improvement of workers’ welfare and salaries’ increment is part of that plan.”
Answering a question on the incessant harassment of Abians and residents in Aba by the rapid response team, Ekeke said such was not acceptable by the government and would not be tolerated in the state.
“Abia State under the current leadership is different in terms of how we think and how we do things around the government and His Excellency, Dr. Alex Otti took an oath to actually protect the lives and property of everybody in the state. Within the limit His Excellency can do, he is doing that,” he said.
