Otti promises to pay N18bn varsity workers’ salary arrears

The Abia State government has committed to offsetting all outstanding salary arrears owed to various tertiary institutions in the state by the immediate-past government, estimated at N18bn.

The Commissioner for Information and Culture, Okey Kanu, disclosed this on Monday while briefing journalists on the outcome of the weekly Executive Council meeting, presided over by Governor Alex Otti.

He said the payment would commence in August with N1.5bn to be disbursed monthly over the next 12 months.

Kanu further stated that the government took decisive steps to address the longstanding issues of salary payment of the staff of Abia State University, as the governor met with the Vice Chancellor and members of the university’s Governing Council to resolve their financial concerns.

The governor, at the meeting, directed the Accountant General to ensure the immediate payment of all outstanding monthly salaries of ABSU staff, for both verified and unverified staff within the week.

“That meeting offered the governor the opportunity to bring those lingering issues to an end.

“In the course of the meeting, he directed the Accountant General to ensure that within the week, all outstanding salaries are paid, and this will apply to those who have been verified and those yet to be verified.

“The governor directed that the verification team be relocated to Abia State University to conclude all outstanding issues of verification of staff,” Kanu stated.

The commissioner said in a commitment to improving the welfare of the staff of the university, salaries for April, May and June had been paid.

“So there’s no gainsaying the fact that the governor is committed to enhancing the welfare of the university staff as never done before by previous administrations,” Kanu added.

He also said the governor directed the Accountant General to meet with the heads of tertiary institutions across the state to harmonise their overhead expenditure.

Speaking on the security of lives and assets in public schools across the state, he said Otti mandated the Senior Special Adviser on Homeland Security to collaborate with the Ministry of Education to deploy security personnel to provide round-the-clock security for all schools in the state.

On the “Light Up Abia Initiative”, the commissioner said the recently-inaugurated JAAC building had been illuminated, adding that the programme had also been extended to Abia State University, to enhance security for students and staff of the institution.

He said efforts were underway to extend the initiative to communities outside the state capital and Aba metropolis, with parts of Arochukwu and Isieketa in Aba now connected to the 33KVA power line.

With Kanu at the briefing was the Commissioner for Finance, Mr Mike Akpara, who clarified the exact amount of arrears of salaries owed to tertiary institutions in the state.