The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Labour Party (LP) in Abia State have traded words over the welfare of workers, pensioners and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members under Governor Alex Otti’s administration.
In an open letter addressed to the governor, the APC called on the state government to improve the living conditions of civil servants and retirees, alleging that some workers were still earning below the approved N70,000 national minimum wage.
The letter, signed by the party’s Publicity Secretary in Abia State, Uche Aguoru, also urged the government to clear outstanding gratuities owed to pensioners and criticised the delay in implementing the N50,000 monthly allowance earlier announced for corps members serving in the state.
“Also very disappointing was the widely published announcement made by your administration over a year ago, promising to increase the monthly allowance of NYSC members serving in the State to N50,000,” the APC said.
The allegation comes days after Governor Otti directed the immediate removal of administrative bottlenecks delaying the payment of the approved allowance to corps members.
The governor said he had already approved the payment, made budgetary provisions for it and ordered relevant officials to ensure its immediate implementation after learning that the allowance had yet to be paid.
Reacting to the APC’s claims, the Labour Party dismissed the allegations, accusing the opposition of spreading false information about the administration’s handling of workers’ welfare.
Speaking through its Abia State Publicity Secretary, Iroegbu Emenike, the LP said the era of pensioners dying while waiting to receive their pensions had ended under Governor Otti’s administration.
The party further argued that members of the APC lacked the moral standing to criticise the current government, alleging that many of them were part of previous administrations that left the state underdeveloped.
According to the LP, civil servants are receiving their salaries as and when due, while retirees are also being paid their monthly pensions.
The party also defended the delay in implementing the enhanced NYSC allowance, saying government approvals are usually followed by administrative processes before payments can begin.
It accused the APC of ignoring those procedures, insisting that the governor had already approved the allowance and that steps were being taken to ensure its implementation.