Tag: Abia State

…….hails him on Pension law repeal.

Emmanuel lkpeama.

The Former President of Nigeria,Olusegun Obasanjo has passed a vote of confidence on the Abia State Governor,Alex Otti,over his developmental strides which have restored public confidence in the government, While urging him to pay more attention to infrastructure because the people of Abia State are enterprising.

The former President stated this during a courtesy visit to Otti at the Governor’s country home in Nvosi, Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area of Abia State.

He went further to state that if adequate attention is giving to infrastructure,the people of the state will have nothing to worry about because they are enterprising on their own.

Obasanjo commended the state governor for repealing the law that allowed former governors and their deputies to collect pensions in order to reduce the cost of governance.

According to him ending the pension to former governors and former deputy governors which he described as daylight robbery is a welcome development.

“The pension scheme for former governor here is atrocious, it’s like daylight robbery because it allows them to have a house in Abuja and elsewhere and cart away with whatever they feel like carting away yet the pension for ordinary people is unpaid, what sort of leadership is that?

“And you came and you said there will be an end to that rascality. I congratulate you and I say to you that I hope that some of your colleagues will follow in your footsteps. You have started but you should never be tired.

“You will be discouraged, you will be abused, you will be called names but if we have one-third of our states doing what should be done this country will be a different country and you are doing what should be done,” Obasanjo stated.

Governor Alex Otti while responding thanked the former President for applauding him on the repeal of the pension law and assured him that his administration was focused on providing infrastructure for the people of the state.
“There is not much we can do if we don’t focus on infrastructure and part of infrastructure is power. In fact it is the most important infrastructure for industrialisation, production, manufacturing and even small and medium-scale enterprises.

“So, I want to also thank you for supporting our decision to repeal the pension law for former governors and former deputy governors. I had said as I signed the bill into law that I strongly believe that leadership is stewardship and if you come to serve the people, you can’t at the same time be fleecing the people,” Otti said.

It will be recalled that the Abia State House of Assembly on tuesday passed into law, H.A.B 11: A Bill for a ‘Law to Repeal The Abia State Governors & Deputy Governors Pensions Law No 4 of 2001 and for other Matters Connected Therewith’ sponsored by the Majority Leader and member representing Arochukwu State Constituency Okoro Uchenna Kalu.
The passage of the bill followed its first and second readings, the consideration by the committee of the whole before its 3rd reading during Tuesday’s plenary at the hallowed chamber and following the passage of the Bill by the lawmakers, Governor Otti on Thursday signed it into law.

..Says Committee in Salary increment for Workers on Course.

Emmanuel Clement.

The Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti ,has assured that by the end of this month the long lingering pension arrears issues in Abia State will be resolved permanently as a lot of progress have been made in that regard.

Governor Otti gave the assurance while speaking during the monthly media chart tagged ” Governor Alex Otti speaks to Abians”. He said that his administration is very passionate in ensuring that all bottleneck surrounding the issue of pension arrears are completely resolved.
According to him,he noted that some civil servants are yet to receive their salaries for some months even after undergoing verification, but a meeting has been fixed with the Accountant General and Commissioner for Finance to resolve issues responsible for why those affected do not receive their salaries alongside co-workers.

The Governor went further to say that on upward review of salaries of Abia workers as promised and the federal government wage award to workers across the country,a committee has been working on modalities and implementation of same, while assuring that the report of the committee is being expected soonest.

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On programmes of the State government in ensuring food security, the State Chief Executive noted that road infrastructure, improved security and other initiatives being taking by his government are all geared towards creating the right atmosphere for Abians to access their farm lands freely while the ministry of Agriculture is making sure that all available land in the state are cultivated this farming season for food sufficiency.

The Governor added that efforts are on to retrieve farm estates which are in the hands of private investors currently said that plans are under way to make available funds to 100 farmers and small business owners in each of the 17 LGAS of the State in the first instance while efforts will be made to extend the gesture to the ward level.

“We are working round the clock to see that all lands that are available particularly to the State are cultivated this planting season. They are quite a lot of plantations that we are still trying to disentangle .

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Some of them have been concessioned by previous governments to people who are actually not planting them and we have in the last few months been engaged in trying to disentangle some of those concessions”
” We also have programmes that support people involved in agriculture and trade and commerce at the very low level. The cooperative arrangements that we just put in place would make available not less than 100 thousand Naira to farmers and traders , I believe a hundred of them per Local Government in the first instance and then, we would go to the wards “he stated
Governor Otti while noting that he has given approval for the renovation and retrofitting of 170 primary schools and 51 secondary schools across the 17 LGAS of the State in addition to other interventions in the education sector, said all he is doing is to arm Abians with the right skills and knowledge to be relevant in the competitive global market.
“Just today , at our Exc meeting, we approved the remodeling and retrofitting of 170 primary schools and 51 secondary schools across the length and breadth of the State . The whole idea is that, at the end of the year all our schools will have received the touch of rehabilitation and retrofitting.”
“So as time goes on yiu will see that our schools will begin to wear a different look. And a standard school in Abia must look a certain way and when we are done with that , we also have a lot of things because the school is not just a structure, the most important, the curricula, what are we teaching our children. We must teach them what will be relevant in the 21st century” he submitted.
Governor Otti,described this month’s media chat as special as it falls on 18th of March, being exactly one year Abia people and residents elected him the Governor of the State used the opportunity to thank the people for voting him and God Almighty for the opportunity granted him to serve Abia people.