I inherited over N250bn  debt burdens – Otti

…Moves to clear salary arrears swiftly, promises to recruit 5, 000 teachers

From Boniface Okoro, Umuahia

New Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti, has revealed that the immediate past administration of Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, left a debt burden of over N250 billion.

But despite the gloomy outlook of the state of affairs staring his new government in the face, Otti has unveiled plans of action aimed at ameliorating the plight of Abians, especially civil servants, pensioners and youths, among others.

He announced immediate commencement of payment of arrears of salary and pension owed civil servants and pensioners, as well as recruitment of 5, 000 new teachers, among other measures tailored towards giving hope to abians and improving their welfare.

 Otti, who was addressing the crowd at the Umuahia Township Stadium shortly after taking his oath of office on Friday, May 29, 2023, disclosed that his administration was taking off from a negative position. 

“Abia State is starting, not from zero, but from an enormously negative position…We have a treasury that has been criminally ravaged to the extent that we have an alleged N50 billion in unpaid salaries, gratuities, and pensions. Our local and foreign debt overhang is reported to be in the region of N200 billion, in addition to other debts to contractors,” Otti revealed.

“It gives me pleasure to announce that within the next few days, we shall commence the payment of May 2023 salaries and pensions to all civil servants and retirees in the State,” the tear-rubber Governor said, promising that his administration would not discriminate against civil servants, describing the practice as evil.

“There shall be no more distinction between the so-called ‘core’ and ‘non-core’ civil servants. This is a disingenuous expression that was used to hide the wicked habit of owing salaries. Whether you are a teacher in a primary or secondary institution owned by the State, a staff of the public health establishments, local government, or work in the judiciary, you shall, beginning from this May, earn your legitimate entitlements as and when due. “From June 2023, all salary and pension obligations of the State would be settled by the 28th of every month. My commitment during my campaigns to pay off all outstanding salary and pension arrears remains sacrosanct. Within the next one week, I shall set up appropriate mechanisms to ensure that all legitimate employees and retirees are identified and paid their due entitlements.”

He therefore appealed to workers still on strike to suspend it and return to work, while thanking Nigeria Labour Congress for heeding his appeal last week for them to suspend their indefinite strike.

“It is on this note that I appeal to workers, including Doctors in the state who have been on strike, to suspend same immediately and go back to work. I wish to thank the NLC for heeding the plea I made to them last week and suspending the strike from today,” he said.

He promised that his administration would rebuild Abia school system and recruit 5, 000 new teachers.

“We will rebuild our school system by making it produce better quality students that will be relevant to the needs of modern society.

“To address the perennial crisis of paucity and poor quality of teaching personnel in our education sector, I shall, over the next one-month, work closely with my team and relevant stakeholders to design an appropriate framework that will be used to drive the recruitment of about 5,000 new teachers for our primary and secondary schools.

“Priority shall be given to young graduates with requisite qualifications in education, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subject areas and to those who are also willing to serve in rural communities.

“It is our commitment to see that our children are given the opportunity to tap into the great systems of advantage and opportunities that come from education, no matter where they live. 

“We shall see to it that our teachers undergo regular refresher courses to update their knowledge and teaching skills so that they will stay relevant in their chosen fields. It must also be stated that under our government, teachers shall never be shabbily treated as reportedly had been the custom in the past. The paucity of infrastructure in our educational system shall be addressed stridently. Our children, whether in the rural or urban communities, will henceforth learn under very conducive and empowering environments,” Governor Otti said. 

He equally said that his government would promote merit. “We will also support meritocracy in our educational system and ensure that special incentives are given to institutions across the state that promote excellence and have a history of producing high calibre students,” he added. 

He also promised to revamp the health sector by addressing headlong, the persisting challenges in the sector. “We shall tackle the problem of poor welfare packages for our health workers by creating a system of incentives that rewards them generously for their sacrifices and commitments to saving and nurturing lives. 

“Furthermore, we shall begin immediately to address the challenge of poor facilities in our health institutions through steady investment in the acquisition of modern medical equipment, appropriate funding, and a robust system of partnership with well-meaning development partners.

“We shall see to it that access to health services is improved for all classes of Abians and where necessary, we shall make important recruitments to address personnel shortages,” Otti said.