A senior civil servant in Abia State has broken silence in an exclusive communication to National Concord, painting a grim picture of deteriorating take-home pay, unresolved pension disputes, and what the source describes as a deliberate exclusion of senior workers from minimum wage benefits all under the administration of Governor Alex Otti.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity citing fears of victimisation, says the financial hemorrhage began shortly after Otti assumed office.
“Before now, my salary was over 200,000 naira, Otti came in, and I started seeing 190,000. Today, it hovers between 182,000 and 184,000. When we ask questions, no tangible reasons are given.” – the civil servant revealed.
The situation, according to the source, has lingered for three years with no resolution in sight and with workers’ unions apparently unable or unwilling to press for answers.
“It has been ‘it will be ratified’ for three years, and our unions are not doing anything about it, They are either threatened, or oil has been rubbed on their lips.” – the source said bitterly.
Double Deduction: New Pension on Top of Unresolved Old
The grievances do not end with salary erosion. The source alleges that the Otti administration has now begun implementing a new pension deduction regime even as disputes over old pension deductions remain unresolved.
Under the new arrangement, eight per cent will be deducted from salaries. On a monthly earning of 180,000 naira, that translates to a loss of 14,400 naira, a figure the source says is devastating for senior officers with school-age children.
“This is a senior officer with children in school, The numbers simply do not add up.” – the source stressed.
Locked Out of Minimum Wage
Perhaps most stinging, the source alleges that the new national minimum wage implementation has bypassed senior civil servants entirely.
“Colleagues from other states are not experiencing all these, Implementation of the minimum wage for us senior workers, no way.” – the source stressed.
The contrast with civil servants in other states, the source suggests, points not to economic constraint but to deliberate policy.
“What did workers do to this man?” the source asked.
National Concord reached out to the Abia State Government for comment. This story will be updated upon response.
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