Abia State Governor Dr. Alex Otti, OFR, during his meeting with Permanent Secretaries of the various ministries in the state.
Abia Judiciary workers commend Governor over payment of 8yrs salary arrears
From Boniface Okoro, Umuahia
Workers in the judicial service of Abia State have expressed gratitude to the Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, for living up to his promise of paying off their salary arrears, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Kazie Uko, has said.
Uko, in a statement, noted that the workers, who had been owed since January 2015, had embarked on an indefinite strike against the immediate past government in the state, to press home their demands, shortly before Governor Otti assumed office on May 29, 2023.
According to the statement, the workers had demanded the confirmation of Justice Lilian Abai as the substantive Chief Judge of the state, after she had been on acting capacity for over six months. Also, they demanded the payment of the arrears of Consolidated Judiciary Staff Salary Structure, leave allowances and judicial autonomy.
“However, out of the four demands, the previous administration was only able to grant one, the confirmation of the Chief Judge, and that was after the then Governor-elect, Dr. Otti, had declared that he would confirm Justice Abai, after being sworn-in as governor.
“The intervention of Governor Otti and promise to pay the outstanding salary arrears led to the calling off of the strike action by the workers, who associate under the aegis of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), Abia State Chapter, in June 2023,” the CPS stated.
He said that it was in fulfillment of that promise, therefore, the Abia State Government has begun payment of the consolidated salary arrears of the members of JUSUN, who have since confirmed that they have started receiving the arrears owed them.
“Consequently, the workers through their union leader and Chairman, Oracle Chinedu Eze, have expressed their gratitude to the Governor and government of Abia State for fulfilling the promise of salary payments,” the statement added.
Uko quoted Eze as writing in a message to the Abia State Governor, through the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ikechukwu Uwanna, thus: “It is with a grateful heart full of joy and happiness that I, on behalf of the entire Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria members and executives, wish to inform and appreciate you for the first batch of the CONJUSS arrears paid yesterday (November 15, 2023).
“Sir, we are most grateful and thankful Sir. May Almighty God bless you mightily. Amen and remain lifted.”
In a related development, Abia State government says it is up-to-date with payment of security personnel attached to Operation Crush, an anti-crime outfit floated by the State to flush out criminals creating insecurity in the state.
Uko who made this public through a statement, said it was to counter misleading reports.that operatives of the multi-agency security outfit were being owed by the state.
“My attention has been drawn to a misleading report on the social media, alleging that the Abia State Government is owing soldiers attached to the multi-agency security task force, codenamed Operation Crush.
“The General public is advised to disregard this falsehood as the state government is up-to-date in meeting its obligations to the anti-crime task force, which has been instrumental in dealing with incidents of violent crimes and dislodging the kidnapping ring around the Umunneochi-Uturu-Okigwe axis, especially on the Enugu-Umuahia-Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway.
“It is worthy of note that the Government of Abia State, under the able and dynamic leadership of the Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, OFR, has continued to pay workers’ salaries, pensions and all outstanding verified benefits accruing to Abia workers and retirees, since the assumption of office by Dr. Otti.
“Abians are not lost in the fact that the falsehood being peddled on the social media is the handwork of the enemies of the State, who have lost their hold on political power in the state and have now chosen to see nothing good in Governor Otti, their Achilles heel,” Uko wrote.
