Abia State Governor Clarifies Salaries and Minimum Wage Concerns

Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has cleared the air on the controversy surrounding salary deductions for civil servants in the state. According to the governor, the deductions were a result of the migration from the 2018/2019 tax rate to the current tax rate in deducting taxes from salaries.

In a recent media interaction, Governor Otti explained that the investigation into complaints about salary deductions revealed that the migration from the old tax rate to the new tax rate was responsible for the difference. He stated that the government had conducted thorough investigations into the complaints and found that the deductions were not a result of "salary being pinched".

The governor also attributed the development to tax deductions, using the current rate. He further clarified that the government had evolved a policy that allows payment of overtime allowance to civil servants who perform "overtime duties" based on government requests.

Regarding the minimum wage, Governor Otti said that the government had set up a committee to look into the issue and await more clarifications from the Federal Government. He explained that the minimum wage announcement was about the minimum wage of N70,000, which would lead to an increase in every civil servant’s salary.

The governor stated that the government and the Nigerian Labour Congress were already working together to find a solution that would be practicable and within the state’s meager resources. He added that the government had placed the issue of the new minimum wage on the front burner and was already making provisions for salary increases based on the new minimum wage.

In other news, Governor Otti spoke about the distribution of Abia’s share of the Federal Government’s trucks of rice to the people. He revealed that the government had resolved to share the palliative among the poorest of the poor in society and workers in the lowest rung of the civil service ladder.

The Governor’s clarification on the salary deductions and minimum wage concerns is expected to bring relief to civil servants in the state, who had been worried about the deductions. The Governor’s commitment to finding a solution that benefits both the government and the civil servants is also a positive step towards addressing the issue.