Imo owes pensioners N16 billion, says Okorocha

Governor Rochas Okorocha, says the state government is owing pensioners about N16 billion.

The governor, who made the disclosure on Monday, while briefing journalists in Owerri, since he returned from overseas tour, said his priority is how to offset the burden.

He said: “As we talk, my priority now is to clear the entire pensions owed Imo retirees and how I will do that is only what is before me now and I will address that soonest,’’ he said.

Okorocha expressed joy that the backlog of salary owed Imo workers had been settled, adding that the only set of workers owed were Imo judiciary and members of staff of the Imo State University Teaching Hospital. He noted: ‘`The workers being owed now are only those of judiciary and Imo State University Teaching Hospital.’’

Okorocha continued: “As we talk, the food we consume in the state comes from the north name it; rice, yam, tomatoes, pepper, and livestock etc all come from the north, and if they (north) decides to cut the food chain, we will be in serious problem,’’ he said.

The governor said the idea he muted for workers to work only three days in a week and use two days for farming was for their interest and the nation, stating that the state government would soon employ 3, 000 computer literate persons to stimulate the state workforce, while teachers already engaged in the Youth Must Work programme, would be confirmed.

On the relocation of Ekeukwu Owerri Main Market, he said that there is no going back, insisting: “government had already given deadline for traders to move to the new market at Egbeada and we will not talk about that again. All that government is telling the traders is to move out their goods gradually, because as soon as the rain subsides, we will close down the market and demolish the whole structures in the market.’’

Okorocha said rains were disturbing the construction work in various parts of the Owerri capital city and beyond.

He refuted the rumour that he was attacked by any ghost resulting to his traveling to India, for medical attention.