Governor Otti: Why I Refused to Respond to House Deputy Speaker, Kalu, over 2027 Threat

*Dispels fears of imminent mass purge in Abia civil service

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has revealed why he refused to respond to the threat by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, who claimed that he (Otti) would be the last Governor of the Labour Party (LP) as the All Progressives Congress (APC) would take over the state in 2027.
Kalu had recently boasted that it would be an aberration for him as the number six citizen of Nigeria and another party, and not his APC, would govern Abia State in 2027.

Otti, who gave reasons for his silence over Kalu’s remark while briefing journalists yesterday at Government House, Umuahia, explained that it would be foolhardy for him to predict the future, stressing that power belongs to God, not man.
He said: “It is foolhardy for me to be talking about what will happen tomorrow. I chose not to respond to Ben Kalu’s comment because I believe that power belongs to God, and He gives it to whom He will. I am not competent to sit here and say what will happen in 2027. I do not subscribe to playing God.”
Governor Otti used the occasion to allay the palpable fears of an imminent mass sack of workers in the state civil service, saying that he was not contemplating carrying out such an exercise.
A forensic audit of the workforce early in the life of the present administration had led to the removal of 2,300 “ghost workers” from the payroll.
In addition, about 5,000 names

“were cleaned out following the review of the last minute employment scam of the last administration.”
The ongoing certificate review exercise embarked upon by the government sparked fear and anxiety over looming job losses in the civil service.
But the governor urged the anxious workers not to panic as “we are not thinking” of mass offloading of workers.
“There is no any massive retrenchment in the pipeline,” he assured Abia workers, adding that he could not understand what gave rise to the alleged impending mass retrenchment.

Nonetheless, the Abia governor pointed out that truant and unproductive workers have reasons to be afraid as it was no longer business as usual.
He emphasised that his government has zero tolerance for all the negative tendencies that had marred the state civil service and hampered effective service delivery.
Otti said that he remained committed to the ongoing reforms in the civil service and would continue to be committed to the welfare of the state workforce to enhance productivity.
On the lingering issue of unpaid salary arrears in some government agencies and parastatals, the governor acknowledged that there were still several unresolved cases.

He pointed out that his administration is not owing any worker, saying that all unpaid salary arrears were inherited from the previous administration.
“The debts were inherited and I will pay them,” he said, adding that he had already directed the Accountant General of the state to start offsetting the inherited 11 months’ salary arrears owed the staff of the Abia State University, Uturu (ABSU).
He said ABSU workers should be hopeful because “in a few days, those payments will happen,” while negotiations were ongoing on modalities to clear the over 30 months’ salary hangover at the Abia State College of Education, Technical, Arochukwu (ASCETA).

Otti also said he was going to attend to the issue of Abia workers sacked in 2011 based on their state of origin.
He said he is running a “government that does not discriminate” hence, once you live in Abia, you are from Abia.”
According to him, “our principle” on indigeneship is that “if you live here, pay your taxes, you are involved in everything we’re doing, then we must treat you as part of us” irrespective of where the resident hails from.
To underscore the fact that “we treat everybody equal regardless of their states of origin,” Otti noted that one of the lawmakers in the state House of Assembly is from Anambra State.

He also cited a permanent secretary in the state civil service who is from Edo State.