Abia State Government has said it would pay salaries owed to state universities’ workers in batches.
As disclosed during a press conference on Tuesday, the Commissioner of Finance, Mike Akpara, said it is because “workers deserve their wages.”
Speaking at the event in Umahia, Mr Akpara expressed the determination of the state governor, Alex Otti, to change the narratives of owing workers salaries, as reported by the News Agency of Nigeria.
According to him, the Otti-led administration inherited a debt of N16.5 billion in salaries owed to state-owned institutions of learning workers.
“The government had resolved the arrears and sustained the development it recorded in other sectors of the economy,” he added.
It will be paid, but it will not be in one sweep. We will do it in instalments so that it does not hamper the progress of other sectors of the economy,” he promised.
In light of payment, he said commencement would begin in “July or August”, hoping all fees owed to the institutions would have been cleared by the end of the year.
He noted that the institutions include Abia State University (ABSU), Abia State Polytechnic, Abia State Teaching Hospital, and the College of Education, Arochukwu.
Mr Akpara further stated that the present administration, unlike the previous, had not applied “for any loan” since assuming office, yet had been managing the state’s resources to fulfil its obligations.
He added, “As a matter of fact, the past government owed Abia Polytechnic -33 months, College of Education Arochukwu – 22 months, Abia State University – 11 months.
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