Over 1,000 former elected councillors in Abia State will begin receiving long-overdue entitlements — including salary arrears from 1999 to 2022 — by the end of February, Governor Dr Alex Otti announced.

The Governor announced after meeting with members of the State Association of Elected Former Councillors, coordinated by Hon. Tony Agbanyim. He confirmed that payments would be made in batches but emphasized that the move is not politically motivated.
“I am told everything should be set by the end of this month. By then, we will start the payments in batches,” Otti said. “Leadership is about solving problems. Until my attention was drawn to this debt, I was not aware of it. Stewardship means addressing the challenges you inherit.”

Hon. Agbanyim criticised past administrations from 1999 to 2023 for refusing to settle the councillors’ entitlements, calling it a “wicked and callous denial of their rights.” He said the neglect left many in hardship, leading to the deaths of over 80 members and their relatives.

He added, “When the Commissioner said you gave instructions to recast Payment Vouchers and prepare PVs for those without them, that was when we started becoming alive again. God came to Abia State through Dr Alex Otti.”

Governor Otti thanked the association for acknowledging his administration’s achievements and endorsing him for reelection in 2027. He reiterated that paying the arrears was “the right thing to do,” stressing that his government will always act justly, regardless of pressure.

The Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Prince Uzor Nwachukwu, decried the failure of past governors to pay the councillors and praised Otti as a compassionate leader committed to correcting historical wrongs.