Abia govt attributes delay of salary to ongoing verification exercise

The Abia State Accountant General, Mrs. Njum Onyemenam, responded on Wednesday to a protest by some state employees over the non-payment of their salaries by stating that 95% of the state’s workforce has been paid.

She added that 57% of retirees in the state were paid in full while 43% received only half of their pension.

The live interview took place on FLO 94.9 FM Umuahia and featured the accountant general.

Onyemenam urged state employees to help with the current physical verification process by saying that it was in everyone’s best interest.

We’ve paid over 95% of government workers, however 5% are still experiencing trouble getting their money due to complications with the verification and validation procedure. All companies will be receiving from us. The Abia accountant general expressed regret that the remaining 5% of the population was being affected by the validation procedure.

She said that on August 28, as promised by Governor Alex Otti, civil servants received their paychecks.

She warned employees that they would not be paid if they avoided the ongoing verification exercise.

When asked when the pension for the month would be paid, Onyemenam answered no later than August 31 and that the first payment was for transportation and the State government will handle the remainder.

Infostride News reports that on Tuesday morning, government servants protested outside the office of the Accountant General due to the delay in receiving their wages.

A statement released later in the afternoon denied reports that she had been driven from her office by government workers, claiming instead that she had attended the International Conference Centre festivities commemorating Abia’s 32nd anniversary.