Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has assured workers that he would pay all arrears of pension and salaries owed workers on or before October 31, 2015.
The governor who made this known while featuring in a guest programme at Magic 102.9fm, Aba, disclosed that the state Accountant-General, Chief Gabriel Onyendilefu, would be in Abuja to finalize processes to enable the state government access its share of the bailout funds released by the federal government.
Ikpeazu vowed not to divert the fund, but to use it for the purpose of paying salaries for which it is meant for, stressing that he came back yesterday and learnt that the bailout has been released.
“It is not yet in our account, but the accountant-general must be on his way to Abuja this week to access it. Some other states have accessed theirs and this bailout is meant for the payment of salaries.
“We can’t deploy it for any other purpose apart from salary payment. It is based on this that I pledge that by the 30th of October, all things being equal, we will be biding bye bye to salary and pension arrears because I will faithfully deliver to pay salaries.”
While appealing to the residents of Aba to exercise patience with the state government over the ongoing road rehabilitation works in the city, the governor stressed that a good number of Abia youths are now in Turkey where they are learning how to improve on their technical knowledge which he said that they would translate in training others.
