Jonathan Nwokpor
The activities of some individuals who go about demolishing the slabs used to cover gutters in some areas of Aba, remove the rods, and sell them as scraps have been condemned by the Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti.
During this month’s media chat with the Abia people, the Governor made the observation at Government House, Umuahia, in response to inquiries from journalists. He stated that damaging property intended for public use is illegal for anybody.
He warned that a task force has already been established to arrest individuals responsible for the destruction, and anyone found guilty would face charges from a mobile court.
Additionally, Governor Otti denied allegations that funds intended for local governments in the State are being tampered with by the State government. He pointed out that if the Abia State government embezzled funds from local government chairmen, they could not implement certain development projects in their areas.
He urged anyone making the allegations to provide supporting documentation, saying there was no way his administration would embezzle local government funds.
“There is no truth in that. You know it is not possible. We don’t operate in a system where snakes and rats swallow money. If they have proof, let them bring it”, Otti said.
Additionally, he revealed that some government agricultural properties granted to specific individuals by previous administrations in the State had been returned to the State by the recipients, and some of the recipients are requesting reimbursement of their payments.
The 11-kilometer Nunya-Isiukwato Road and the Ozu Abam-Okobo-Arochukwu Road were awarded by the Governor, who also announced that work on them would be flagged off on Wednesday.
Otti defended the implementation of work attendance recording devices in local governments and claimed that any civil servant who registered less than 70% of attendance each month would not be paid.
In addition to noting that 66,000 civil servants are currently getting paid in the State civil servants, he reminded retirees in the State that his pledge to clear their pensions by the first quarter of the year remains.
According to Otti, his administration is making every effort to guarantee that the cases of those civil servants who have yet to be paid are addressed.
In 2024, he added, 170 primary and 51 secondary schools would undergo renovations, and the curriculum would be updated to incorporate artificial intelligence, among other things.
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