•Abia State Governor Alex Otti
Some permanent secretaries who retired from the Abia State Government last year have called on the government to urgently pay their emoluments, which include severance packages and gratuities.
In a statement issued in Umuahia, the state capital, yesterday, the spokesman for the group, Mr Nkwachukwu Agumuo, stated that since they were abruptly disengaged from service, the Abia State government ought to have compensated them to enable them to rebuild their lives and those of their family members.
The group applauded the Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, for his developmental projects and reminded him of the need to address their request to reduce frustration among their members.
They stated that they had made several efforts to draw the attention of the state government to their plight, including visits to the Deputy Governor, the Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, the Secretary to the State Government, and the Commissioner for Justice to highlight the matter to the governor.
The statement read, “It has become very urgent and pressing to bring to light our plight since October 2023, when our services in the state civil service were abruptly cut short. Since then, we have yet to receive our entitlements concerning severance allowances, furniture allowances, and gratuities.
“We are 30 permanent secretaries affected by this policy, and regrettably, we have taken several measures to get our voices heard, all to no avail.
“The silence from those relevant to our issue leaves much to be desired. This has left us in dire straits, financially and emotionally.
“All of us spent decades serving this state sacrificially for the good of the public. Our sudden and unceremonious retirement not only stripped us of our livelihoods but has also placed a stigma on our careers going forward and left us grappling with uncertainties regarding our future.”
In the same vein, the statement noted that families and dependants are suffering untold hardship from actions or inactions perpetrated by certain officers who the governor had rightly assigned to address their matter.
“Many depend on the income provided by these officers for their basic necessities in healthcare, food, housing, and education. With the non-payment of our retirement benefits, except for the meagre monthly pensions, our dependents have been forced to make difficult choices.
“We hear and see the numerous accomplishments of our dear and amiable governor. We humbly appeal to him to call the attention of the Accountant General, to whom we are reliably informed that express approval for payment of our severance allowances and furniture allowances has been granted to resolve the matter,” he said.
