Keep up with the latest news and be part of our weekly giveaways and airtime sharing; follow our WhatsApp channel for more updates. Click to Follow us

Sixteen former employees of the defunct Abia State Road Maintenance Agency, ABROMA, have appealed to Governor Alex Otti to intervene in their concerns over low salaries and stagnant grade levels.

The workers, who said they were employed by the previous administration in 2014, disclosed that they had remained on Grade Levels 2 and 3, earning N21,000 and N23,000 respectively as monthly salaries.

Speaking to journalists in Umuahia in a passionate appeal, spokesperson for the 16 former road maintenance agency workers, Mr Ikedichi Orisa, said all ABROMA employees were absorbed into the Abia State Ministry of Works after the present administration repealed the agency.

He explained that the affected workers resumed their duties after successfully completing the verification exercise but expressed concern that they continued to receive N21,000 and N23,000 through the same payment portal previously used by the abolished ABROMA.

Orisa added that they had also remained on the grade levels on which they were employed 12 years ago, despite now working under the Abia State Ministry of Works.

According to him, the workers had followed the required procedures in seeking improved salaries in line with the minimum wage implemented by Governor Alex Otti’s administration, but their efforts had yet to produce the expected outcome.

The former ABROMA employees further disclosed that the Abia State Commissioner for Works, Don Otumchere Oti, had written to the Abia State Civil Service Commission over their complaints.

They added that the Abia State Head of Service and other relevant government agencies were also aware of their situation.

Orisa recalled that ABROMA workers went without salaries under the administration of former Governor Okezie Ikpeazu from April 2017 until the end of his tenure, after which Governor Alex Otti’s administration assumed office and began paying their salaries.

“We were employed in 2014, but our salaries stopped coming in 2017. The former administration of Okezie Ikpeazu did not pay us from April 2017 until he left office in May 2023. But when Governor Alex Otti took over, he verified us and started paying us, and we are very grateful to Governor Otti for ending the seven years of non-payment of salaries.

“But we are bringing it to his knowledge that we are still receiving the N21,000 and N23,000 we were earning under the repealed ABROMA, and we have remained on the same grade levels at which we were employed, despite our integration into the Abia State Ministry of Works.

“We have families and aged parents who depend on us. Some of us are sick, while others come from distant places to work. That is why we are appealing to our Governor to intervene in our situation as he did before, so that we can receive the same minimum wage as other staff, as well as gain promotion in our grade levels,” Orisa appealed.

Please don’t forget to “Allow the notification” so you will be the first to get our gist when we publish it. 
Drop your comment in the section below, and don’t forget to share the post.