A pressure group, Abians for Good Governance, on Tuesday, handed down a 30-day ultimatum to the Alex Otti-led government to explain some critical issues bothering his administration.

The group listed the issues to include payment of salaries and entitlements to disengaged workers, including Permanent Secretaries and directors, reversal of forfeited pension arrears and payment of pension arrears and gratuities to retirees, as well as disclosure of the locations of the various projects and facilities ?for which the government claimed N200 billion of taxpayers? money was expended on in its 2023 quarterly financial report.?

Other issues, according to the group, include the return of the governor to the Government House in Umuahia, where all government business and functions should be conducted, reopening of the Aba garment and shoe factories, as well as the Abia Specialist Hospital for immediate use by artisans and patients, and compliance with the Supreme Court ruling on local government autonomy, dissolution of the committee established to control and oversee council funds, and granting elected chairmen access to their JAAC allocations.

The convener of the media briefing, Don Norman Obinna, where organized labour and affiliates were represented, said, ?Today, we gather to express our concerns for Abia, aiming to clarify the challenges facing our dear state and propose constructive steps forward.

?While the administration led by Governor Alex Otti continues to claim on the pages of newspapers and social media that Abia State is transforming, the reality on the ground does not align with these claims. While there have been some improvements, such as road patching, repainting, expansion, and the payment of salaries and pensions (albeit to only about 60 per cent of the workforce), not much is on the ground to corroborate sundry government claims.

?Contrary to claims of improved benefits and timely salary and pension payments, many civil servants and pensioners continue to struggle with a never-ending series of verifications, unresolved salary issues and pension arrears, including reports of non-implementation of the ?70,000 minimum wage. This has resulted in significant hardship for thousands.

?Data available to AGG indicates that since May 29, 2023, the Otti-led administration has terminated the employment of over 20,000 workers, including Permanent Secretaries and directors, without the payment of their owed salaries and entitlements to date.

?This ill-conceived layoff has surged the unemployment rate in Abia State to 18.7 per cent, making it the state with the highest unemployment rate in Nigeria, according to the National Bureau of Statistics Q1 2024 release. However, it is important to clarify that, pensioners are owed 60 months of pension, not nine years and 23 years of gratuities. This insensitivity has resulted in the deaths of over 1,000 pensioners who struggle to afford food and medication.

?With monthly FAAC/JAAC allocations rising to ?16 billion since 2023 (up from an initial average of ?7 billion), we had anticipated a change in fortune for workers, pensioners, and residents, alongside a substantial infrastructural revolution in Abia State. We believe that 30 days is a sufficient timeframe for a responsive government to address the voices of the people and fulfill these six life-changing demands.

?In conclusion, we urge the Otti administration to take immediate action on these pressing issues and fulfill its commitments to the people of Abia State. Let us work hand in hand for a better future, fostering accountability, development, and hope for all.?

Reacting, the state chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Ogbonnaya Okoro, said the state government has started paying the minimum wage, but working out the consequential adjustment that did not favour the senior staff.

Also speaking, the state chairman of the National Union of Pensioners, Elder Chukwuemeka Irondi, and his state Secretary, Uma Kalu, said they were coned into signing an agreement contrary to their wishes in order to save their lives.

AGG is a pressure group registered under Abia State law in 2019 with a mission to advocate for the collective aspirations of Abians while holding political leaders, public officials, and government accountable (The PUNCH, but headline rejigged)

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