Abia Govt to pay 22-year wage arrears owed to Ex-Councillors
The Abia State Authorities has introduced plans to begin the settlement of long-standing wage arrears owed to former Native Authorities councillors.
This is for these who served between 1999 and 2022, in what the administration describes as a part of a broader effort to scrub up inherited fiscal and governance liabilities.
Governor Alex Otti disclosed this throughout a gathering with members of the Affiliation of Former Elected Councillors in Umuahia on Sunday.
In accordance with the governor, cost of the arrears gathered over greater than 20 years will start earlier than the tip of February and will probably be executed in batches.
Otti defined that when the difficulty was first delivered to his consideration, he was not totally briefed on its complexity, together with a number of courtroom circumstances and partial funds made underneath courtroom orders by earlier administrations. He mentioned his authorities determined to harmonise all claims and resolve the disputes holistically, noting that management calls for confronting inherited issues reasonably than suspending them.
The governor recommended the affiliation for withdrawing all pending courtroom circumstances associated to the unpaid salaries, describing the transfer as a confidence-building step. He mentioned the federal government has since harmonised all claims to make sure a clear and orderly settlement course of. With all litigations resolved, Otti assured that funds would start earlier than the month-end.
In a gesture aimed toward institutional readability, the governor directed the lawmaker representing Isiala Ngwa North and South Constituency, Chief Ginger Onwusibe, alongside the Commissioner for Native Authorities and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr Uzo Nwachukwu, to formalise the construction of the affiliation.
The choice to clear the arrears comes amid ongoing fiscal reforms underneath the present administration.
Nairametrics had earlier reported that the Abia State Authorities has considerably lowered its inherited debt burden since Governor Otti assumed workplace in Could 2023. Knowledge from the Debt Administration Workplace present that the state’s debt inventory declined to N66 billion as of December 2024 from N138 billion inherited from earlier administrations.
Inside this era, the state reportedly paid down N72 billion in excellent obligations with out contracting new debt, reflecting a coverage concentrate on fiscal self-discipline, credibility, and strategic renegotiation of presidency liabilities. The administration has persistently linked this debt discount to its capability to satisfy recurrent obligations, together with salaries and pensions, whereas funding precedence infrastructure initiatives.
Governor Otti has maintained that addressing legacy liabilities similar to unpaid wages is essential to restoring confidence in public establishments and strengthening Abia’s {financial} standing.
Nairametrics beforehand reported that Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, introduced a N1.016 trillion funds proposal for the 2026 fiscal 12 months to the Abia State Home of Meeting for consideration.
The proposed 2026 appropriation invoice, titled the “Finances of Acceleration and New Prospects,” represented a 13% enhance over the 2025 funds, reflecting an expansionary fiscal posture by the state authorities.
Of the whole funds estimate, N811.8 billion (80%) was allotted to capital expenditure, whereas N204.4 billion (20%) was put aside for recurrent spending, underscoring the administration’s concentrate on infrastructure and long-term {economic} development.
The capital expenditure part mirrored a 32% enhance in comparison with the 2025 capital funds, aligning with the federal government’s emphasis on roads, city renewal, healthcare, training, and different growth-supporting initiatives.
Recurrent expenditure rose by 33% from N136 billion in 2025, pushed by expanded administrative features and better personnel prices following the addition of hundreds of recent staff to the state payroll.