Governor Alex Otti Begins Payment of N17.63 Billion Salary Arrears in Abia State Institutions
Abia State Governor Alex Otti has begun disbursing N17.63 billion to settle salary arrears owed to workers across various state institutions. This includes Abia State University, Abia State Polytechnic, and other educational and health institutions.
Chris Oyeoku Okafor 
In a major step towards addressing long-standing salary arrears, Abia State Governor Alex Otti has commenced the disbursement of N17.63 billion owed to workers across various state institutions. This move aims to alleviate the financial burden on staff affected by arrears accumulated under previous administrations.
The payment initiative covers a wide range of institutions, including Abia State University, Uturu; Abia State Polytechnic, Aba; Abia State College of Education, Technical Arochukwu; Abia State Teaching Hospital, Aba; and the Health Management Board, Umuahia. Other beneficiary institutions are the College of Health Sciences, Aba, the Abia State Universal Basic Education Board, and the Secondary Education Management Board.
Prince Okey Kanu, Commissioner for Information, confirmed the development, stating, “The Accountant General’s office has begun disbursing the funds to verified workers, with a total amount of N17,629,767,342.09 allocated. This payment will be executed through a structured 12-month amortization plan, with the initial tranche already released. This strategy ensures that essential governance areas are not compromised due to financial limitations.”
Ukoha Njoku, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Otti, added that the governor has earmarked N1.5 billion monthly to address the N18 billion salary backlog over the coming year. “Governor Alex C. Otti is pleased to see the positive response from Abia workers as they start receiving their overdue payments, in stark contrast to the previous administration’s failure to provide these statutory benefits,” Njoku said.
The payment comes after the former Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Mike Akpara, revealed that the current administration inherited significant unpaid salary arrears. Akpara had outlined a plan to clear these debts in phases, ensuring the state’s financial stability while addressing salary issues in critical sectors.
Workers across various institutions, such as Abia State Polytechnic (owed 33 months), the College of Education, Arochukwu (owed 22 months), and Abia State University (owed 11 months), will see a significant impact from these payments. The state government has already disbursed arrears for April and May to Abia State University employees, marking a new era of financial responsibility and improved workers' welfare under Governor Otti’s leadership.
