The Abia State Executive Council has directed the Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection Mrs Blessing Felix to liaise with relevant authorities to work out arrangements for the safe return of indigenes of the state allegedly trapped in South Africa.
Abia Governor, Dr Alex Otti who disclosed this during the August edition of his monthly media parley tagged “Governor Otti Speaks”, disclosed that the government has already provided financial assistance to Abia indigenes who had recently returned from South Africa.
He noted that the gesture was contemplated because some of the South Africa returnees had suffered difficult and traumatic circumstances before returning home.
The Governor further revealed that more than N500 million naira was spent this August to support vulnerable residents, including people undergoing expensive kidney, other organ transplants as well as those battling terminal illnesses.
According to him, the intervention reflects his administration’s commitment to putting the people at the centre of governance, particularly workers, the elderly and vulnerable residents.
Regarding workers’ welfare, Governor Otti disclosed that his administration has completed the payment of outstanding gratuities to senior citizens who retired between 2001 and 2010, adding that the remaining sets of retirees from 2011 to date will soon receive theirs.
The Governor also revealed that the state has rolled out the contributory pension scheme for more than 36,000 workers, noting that the arrangement would make pension and gratuity payments easier and more sustainable.
To ensure proper communication with the people, Governor Otti also announced the establishment of a technology-driven Citizen Engagement Centre to enable residents to communicate directly with the government, report issues, ask questions and make inputs into governance and the state development.
He pointed out that the centre has been equipped with a helpline and an email platform, assuring that his administration’s people-centred approach would remain central to its policies and programmes.
