Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has instructed that the salary structure for the new National Minimum Wage be reworked to correct the errors observed in the consequential adjustments.
Governor Alex Otti gave the instructions during a crucial meeting he held with the various workers’ union leaders in the state, led by the Nigeria Labour Congress Chairman, Comrade Ogbonnaya Okoro. He said he received reports of errors noticed in the payment of the minimum wage, which the state started implementing in October 2024.
Governor Otti assured that his government would be engaging with the leadership of the Organized Labour in a few days to address the issue.
“I have instructed my people. I have instructed them to go and look at it again.
“In the next few days, we will be engaging with the leadership of Labour so that we can make the necessary adjustments. So, my team will go back and look into it.”
He described as uncalled for the listing of Abia as one of the states yet to commence implementation of the new National Minimum Wage, adding that Abia was one of the first states to implement it, starting in October 2024.
Governor Alex Otti announced that he would pay both the December salary and the 13th-month salary of the workers before the 20th of December 2024. He assured the members of the Organized Labour that the government is their own government.
The governor, who frowned upon the attitude of Abia pensioners who, after receiving their many years of pension arrears in line with the agreement made with the government, now accuse the government of deceiving them, emphasized that his administration inherited unpaid pension arrears dating back to 2014 and has settled them. He noted that, since April of this year, Abia pensioners have been receiving their full pension on the 28th of every month. He thanked the Concerned Abia Pensioners for speaking up on the matter.
“The first time I met with the NUP leadership, they were clear with me, saying that what was important to them was being able to plan. If the government could commit to paying them 100 percent of their pension from that month, they were willing to forget about the arrears. I felt that was not fair.”
The state chief executive, while describing the Abia workforce as a major vehicle that brought him to power, equally thanked the workers for remaining a major stakeholder in the rebuilding agenda of the state government. He said the essence of the meeting was to interact with the Abia workforce and to thank them for their support of his administration, which has changed the image of the state for the better.
In his reaction, the Chairman of the Abia State chapter of the NLC, Comrade Ogbonnaya Okoro, while appreciating the Governor for his benevolence towards the Abia workforce and his decision to correct the errors observed in the payment, said they would present other issues of concern to the Governor later.
He assured Governor Otti of the sustained support of the workers to ensure his success in office.
The meeting, which attracted the presence of the Deputy Governor, Engr. Ikechukwu Emetu, Chief of Staff to the Governor, Pastor Caleb Ajagba, Head of Service, Dr. Ngozi Obioma, Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ikechukwu Uwanna, top government officials, chairpersons, and secretaries of affiliate unions under the NLC, Trade Union Congress (TUC), and Joint Negotiating Council, also featured interactive sessions where union leaders expressed their views and expectations.
