Abia State Governor Alex Otti has assured families of deceased pensioners that his administration will pay the benefits owed to their late relatives as the state begins clearing more than N60 billion in outstanding gratuity liabilities.
Otti gave the assurance on Thursday during his monthly media chat, Governor Alex Otti Speaks to Abians, in Umuahia.
The governor said the state had recently completed payments of outstanding gratuities to retired workers who left service between 2001 and 2010, with attention now shifting to retirees from 2011 to date as funds become available.
“We found that outstanding gratuities were over N60 billion. And we are undertaking to clear those gratuities gradually.”
Otti also said the government had introduced a contributory pension scheme for more than 36,000 workers, which he said would help prevent the accumulation of future pension and gratuity liabilities.
On education, the governor announced that a new substantive Vice-Chancellor of Abia State University, Uturu (ABSU) would assume office from November 1, 2026, following the expiration of the acting vice-chancellor’s tenure.
He said the recruitment process had already begun, with advertisements published for qualified candidates.
Otti further disclosed that his administration had recruited an additional 4,074 teachers to address shortages in public schools, following the earlier recruitment of 5,394 teachers. He said the recruitment was targeted at locations and subjects where teachers were most needed.
The administration is also carrying out infrastructure upgrades in tertiary institutions and reconstituting the Secondary Education Management Board (SEMB).
The governor announced that a Citizens’ Engagement Centre would soon open to give residents a direct channel to communicate with the government, ask questions and make suggestions on public policies.
On healthcare, Otti reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to affordable and quality healthcare, citing Abia’s ranking in the 2026 Phillips Consulting State Performance Index.
Source: Abia State Government.
