Abia State Governor Alex Otti has announced that the state will begin settling the verified gratuity and pension arrears that have remained unpaid since 2001, describing the backlog as a burden the state can no longer ignore.
Speaking during his monthly media briefing at Government House, Umuahia, Alex Otti stated that his administration had completed a thorough review of all outstanding claims. The exercise, carried out in collaboration with the Nigerian Union of Pensioners, produced a detailed report that has now been submitted.
Otti said, “The committee that we set up between the national body of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners and members of my administration has just handed in the report.
“If you recall, after appeals had been made, we decided to look at it again and we have done that. It is disheartening that pensions have remained outstanding since 2001, and the total verified outstanding pensions are in excess of N60 billion.”
He described the arrears as an enormous liability stretching back more than two decades, but stressed that his administration would confront it head-on. “Government is continuous, and whatever you are handed over, you deal with it. If it is assets, if it is liabilities, you pick all of them. We are unafraid to work out a solution,” he said.
The governor assured retirees that the days of uncertainty were over. “One thing I would like to assure our pensioners is that their gratuity will be paid gradually,” he said, adding that salaries for serving workers remained current.
Otti also addressed the salary delay affecting newly recruited teachers and issued a firm deadline for correction. “I have instructed everyone involved that they cannot have a weekend until every affected teacher is paid. By the end of Sunday, all the people who are affected will receive their salaries,” he said.
The state’s recruitment portal, which was reopened recently to hire 4,000 teachers, recorded 27,980 applications in just two weeks. The governor said the turnout reflected trust in the process. He promised a clean and transparent selection exercise similar to the previous round.
Alex Otti said, “You can go home and sleep knowing fully well that if you qualify, you will be taken, and if you don’t qualify, no matter who you know, you will not be taken.”
He noted that the recruitment of medical personnel was almost completed, with some applicants coming from outside the country.
Otti drew attention to recent national rankings, stating that SBM Intelligence rated Abia as the most prepared state for medical emergencies.
The state also topped the Kevlin Index for intra-city transport affordability. According to him, the difference between Abia’s average fare of ₦542 and the ₦1,399 recorded in the lowest-ranked state was “like day and night”.
He confirmed that Abia’s fleet of newly acquired electric buses would be deployed before the end of the year to further cut transport costs.
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