Abia no longer where it used to , now headed in right direction -Kanu
… Says govt. has fixed 70 roads, commences payment of full pensions
From Boniface Okoro, Umuahia
The present administration in Abia State says its 11 months in office has been a period of actions tailored towards transforming the state.
Commissioner for Information and Culture, Prince Okey Kanu, who announced this on Monday while briefing newsmen at Government House, Umuahia, after the Weekly State Executive Council meeting, added that the administration has fixed and maintained 70 township roads during the period under review.
The Commissioner also said that after clearing the backlog of pension arrears last month, government started paying full pension to pensioners this April.
“It is 11 months today (Monday, Apri 29, 2024) that this government took over the reigns of power. It is 11months ago that His Excellency, Dr. Alex Otti, promised Abians that he was going to rebuild the state.
“And you will agree with me that it has been 11 months of power-packed performance by this administration,” said Kanu.
He maintained that the actions of government have taken the state off its inglorious past and placed on the fast lane of development, with greatness as its destination.
“In just 11 months, quite a lot has changed: Abia is no longer where it used to be.
“Friends, and foes alike, will agree with me that Abia is on the way to greatness. We have done so much in 11 months and that’s not sounding immodest” the Commissioner said, adding that though the administration was still very young, it has readied the state to move in the right direction.
“Governance is a marathon and not a sprint. It is still early days but government is headed towards the right direction.
“At the appropriate time, this government will give account of its stewardship since its inception,” he said.
On road d infrastructure, the Commissioner said government has fixed and maintained 70 township roads in Aba and Umuahia, over the 11 months period.
“To date, this government has fixed and maintained 70 roads between Aba and Umuahia, and this is through direct labour.
“Let me inform us that just this past week, the Isieketa-Obikabia road was completed,” Kanu disclosed.
He said the number was not among the signature and. other ongoing road projects.
“Let me add that all our road projects: Ossah road, Port Harcourt road in Aba, the Umuahia -Uzuakoli-Akara-Abiriba-Ohafia road, Nunya-Eluama road and of course, the Arochukwu-Ndi Okoreke-Ozu Abam road projects are all ongoing. They are all progressing very very well,” he said.
The Commissioner also noted that Governor Alex Otti has fulfilled his promise to start paying full pensions to pensioners.
Hitherto, Abia pensioners were owed years of arrears of pensions. The last administration, when it wanted to pay, were paying pensioners half of their pensions monthly.
Even the present administration started off with payment of half pensions to the senior citizens until March 2024, when government paid off the backlog of pension arrears with about N10 billion, with a promise that Pensioners in the state would start receiving their full pensions with effect from April, 2024.
The Governor told newsmen during his April edition of his Monthly Media Chat that he has directed that pensions should be paid alongside salaries.
That was why Kanu proclaimed during the EXCO news briefing that “It’s been a case of promise made and promise kept.”
“When last month the government paid outstanding pension arrears to our pensioners, there was a promise we made. And that promise was that as from this month, our pensioners were going to get 100 percent of their pensions.
“I want to announce to us that that has just happened. Since the 27th of this month, they have been receiving their alerts.
“There has been a display of joy and happiness all over the state by all those who are affected,” the Commissioner said.
He stressed that the essence of governance was to make the governed happy.
“I believe that what is happening to pensioners is what governance is all about: making people happy, making Abians happy. So those ones who have served the state for so many years before now and were not well taken care of, we want to say that today, they are very very happy. That’s the testimony all over the place. His Excellency has been receiving a lot of commendations from the pensioners themselves. So that’s what we want to see, that people are happy, Abians are happy,” the Commissioner.
Contributing, the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr Chinedu Egege, explained that the payment of the full pensions was part of the agreement reached with the leadership of Abia State chapter of Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) during negotiations for payment of the pension arrears.
“Part of the conditions the NUP gave when that negotiation was going on was that the government must start paying them their full pensions. This is what is currently happening.
“If you know pensioners, ask them if they received their pensions for the Month or April, I am sure the answer Will be yes. If you also ask them if they received 100 percent of those pensions, I am also sure that the answer will be yes. So, we jmy have kept our side of that agreement,” Egege said.
