“Abia Workers Are Better Off Today Than Ever” – Indomitable Grassroots Movement Replies APC Over Wage Claims

Group Says Otti Govt Has Prioritized Workers’ Welfare, Pension Payments, Calls APC Letter “Political Distraction”

UMUAHIA – The Indomitable Grassroots Movement, IGM, has responded to the All Progressives Congress, APC, over its letter to Governor Alex Otti on workers’ welfare, saying the administration has made more progress for civil servants and pensioners in two years than previous governments did in eight.

In a statement issued on Sunday in Umuahia and signed by its State Coordinator, Chief Emmanuel Otti, the group described the APC letter signed by its Publicity Secretary, Uche Aguoru, as “misleading, politically motivated, and lacking in facts.”

The APC had written to Governor Otti, alleging that some civil servants in Abia were earning below the approved N70,000 national minimum wage, and also urged government to clear unpaid gratuities to pensioners and implement the promised allowance increase for NYSC members serving in the state.

But the Indomitable Grassroots Movement said the Otti administration inherited a civil service system “plagued by ghost workers, unpaid arrears, and a broken pension system” and has since taken deliberate steps to clean it up.

“It is on record that Governor Alex Otti met a system where workers were owed for months and pensioners were abandoned. Today, salaries are paid on or before the 28th of every month, and verification exercises are ongoing to ensure no worker earns below the law,” the group stated.

On the minimum wage issue, IGM noted that the Governor had publicly committed to implementing the *N70,000 benchmark* in phases, starting with harmonization of the wage structure to eliminate disparities.

“Government cannot pay what it does not have. The APC should tell Abians how many months of salary arrears they left behind. Governor Otti is rebuilding the economy so that the N70,000 wage becomes sustainable, not a political gimmick,” it added.

On pension and gratuity, the group said the administration has commenced regular payment of monthly pensions and has set up a committee to audit and defray gratuity backlogs inherited from past administrations.

“For the first time in years, pensioners now receive alerts monthly. That is restoring dignity. The APC that ignored them for 24 years has no moral authority to lecture this government,” the statement read.

Regarding NYSC allowances, IGM said the delay was due to ongoing reconciliation of corps members’ data with the NYSC secretariat to ensure transparency, and that payment would commence once the process is concluded.

The group further accused the APC of attempting to “weaponize workers’ welfare for 2027 politics” instead of offering constructive ideas.

“While the APC is busy writing letters from Abuja, Governor Otti is on ground building roads, paying salaries, reviving Aba, and restoring hope. Abia workers and pensioners can feel the difference,” IGM said.

The Movement urged civil servants, pensioners and youths in the state to continue to support the Otti administration, assuring that more welfare packages were in the pipeline.

“We are an indomitable people. This government is working for the grassroots, and no amount of propaganda will derail it,” the statement concluded.