Alex Otti, the Governor of Abia State has directed that salaries of government employees and retirees be paid before those holding political office in the state.

Governor Otti who gave this directive in his Easter address to the people of Abia expressed his curiosity as to why long-serving state employees who had retired from government service had been refused pensions.

While acknowledging that pension payments should not be a cause for celebration, he clarified that the seniors’ happiness was due to the fact that their debt had been unpaid for an excessive amount of time.

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“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 stated.