Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, says the sum of N14 has been set aside for the repair of rural roads in the 27 local councils of the state before the Yuletide.

The state government has also promised to defray the N19 billion owed to pensioners in the state by December.

Okorocha spoke during the inauguration of 500 taxi cabs for the Imo Urban Taxi Scheme, and meeting with the members of the State Development Council (SDC), monarchs among others, at the Imo International Convention Centre (IICC), Owerri.

The governor regretted that on assumption of office in 2011, the monthly pension figure was N280 million, wondering how it suddenly skyrocketed to N1.4 billion, a development that made the payment burden heavier, considering the meagre monthly allocation to the state.

“The state has no problem with the payment of workers’ salary. We have paid salary up to the month of October. Any worker in the state, who claims that he or she has not been paid up to October, or that he or she is owed salary is a thief. Our only challenge now is the issue of pension. And we have resolved to deal with the issue once and for all. I do not want to owe these senior citizens in my time.

We are going to get them paid.”