Abia Freedom Alliance, a group of concerned Abia business people, technocrats and professionals have slammed Gov Okezie Ikpeazu for his administration’s inability to pay workers salary and pensions.
In a statement titled: “Okezie Ikpeazu at 6: Why we must rise to reclaim our state from political opportunists”, and signed by it’s leaders including Prince Uzor Nwachukwu and Chief Joe Ezearu, the group congratulated the people of the state, particularly the workers and pensioners for surviving another one year of hardship occasioned by the non payment of salary and pensions by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) led government.
“We congratulate Ndi Abia for surviving yet another one year of Okezie Ikpeazu’s melodramatic administration and by extension 22 years of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stranglehold on the state and her people as evidenced in the non-payment of workers’ salaries, retirees’ pensions and other genuine entitlements of hard working and diligent Abia civil servants and pensioners.
“We stand in solidarity with the workers and retirees at a time of great injustice against them. It is only miraculous that they have continued to survive and retain their faith in the state despite years of insincerity and treachery by a government that ought to have made the welfare of the state’s workforce and our senior citizens its critical priority.
“As much as we know that the pains of working on empty stomach and returning home at the end of every month to a dejected family can be quite excruciating, it pains us to acknowledge that apart from those owed months of accumulated salaries and pensions arrears by the most inconsiderate government in our history, the fate of other Abians not connected to the ‘blood tonic’ pipe in Umuahia is no better”.
While the group knocked the government for not putting measures in place to better the lots of the youths in the state, it also expressed worry about what it described as the over-taxed business community, without much on ground to show for it.
“We wish to salute Ndi Abia at home and beyond who have shown extra ordinary resilience and faith in democracy, especially in the last six years, despite all the disappointments, betrayal, terrible abuses and failed promises by those entrusted with the management of the state’s affairs and its commonwealth”.
The group queried why Abia is paying most for a kilometre of road renovation across the whole of South East Nigeria and called for the debt profile of the state to be made public.
Responding, Chief Okiyi-Kalu said Abia workers are largely happy with Ikpeazu for not only paying them regularly, but also being the first in the region to pay new minimum wage.
“Pensioners are receiving payments every month even though they have long standing outstanding payments that the government hopes to defray as soon as the economy improves. In this region, Abia workers receive higher wages than others and they appreciate that and will definitely not want to be paid same amount per level with their counterparts in other states or be downsized as others. That’s Democratic governance at work”.
He described those criticizing the Ikpeazu administration as helicopter politicians who do not see anything good in the government.
