Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has ordered that civil servants and pensioners in Abia State must be paid their salaries before political office holders.
He expressed concern that pensioners had been owed for a long time by previous administrations in the state, but his administration cleared the backlog of unpaid pensions.
Governor Otti mentioned in his Easter message to Abia citizens that retired civil servants who served the state were unjustly denied their pensions for an extended period.
He emphasized that paying pensions should not be a cause for celebration, but the retirees’ happiness came from finally receiving what they were owed after waiting for so long.
“It is indeed regrettable that these great men and women (pensioners), who toiled for the State at the peak of their productive years, were owed for so long.
“At any rate, as I mentioned in my address to Abians shortly after my inauguration, never again shall our senior citizens be subjected to the agony of unpaid entitlements.
“I have since directed that full pensions must be paid on or before the 28th of every month, the very same day civil servants in the state get their salaries.
“As a rule, political office holders will only be paid after our obligations to our senior citizens and civil servants have been fulfilled, in full,” Governor Otti affirmed.
He expressed gratitude to the executives and members of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners in the State for their trust in his administration, emphasizing that the well-being of the people of Abia was a top priority for him.
He announced that Abia has now become one of the safest states in the country and encouraged both Abia natives and visitors to explore and invest in the state without any concerns.
He extended his congratulations to the people of Abia and Christians everywhere on the observance of Easter this year, assuring that every part of the state would experience development under his leadership.
