Non-indigenes of Abia State who were sacked from the state’s Civil Service were reinstated because of improvement in the state government’s internally generated revenue, Governor of the state, Theodore Orji has explained.
Speaking on Thursday with newsmen on the recall of the workers two years after they were sacked, Orji lamented that the state government had no option but to carry out the action since it could no longer manage the hefty wage bill occasioned by the new minimum wage.
“When the Federal Government introduced the minimum wage for workers, our wage bill shot up”, he said.
“Our option was to ask the non-indigenes to go back to their state so that we will be able to pay our workers. In taking the decision, it was hoped that the affected workers would be easily absorbed by their home governments. Unfortunately, these workers were not absorbed by their various governments”.
On other matters, Orji revealed the plan of the Abia State government to construct a multi-purpose edifice that would beautify the city and raise its status as a state capital in the open space at the old Umuahia Main Market.
Welcoming the relocation of the market to Ubani Ibeku near Umuahia, he expressed enthusiasm that the modern facilities, social amenities and infrastructure of the new market would make life comfortable for the traders.
Earlier, he blamed the scarcity of pipe-borne water in Umuahia on periodic vandalism of state equipment at the water scheme at Onuimo, saying the action of the hoodlums constitutes an impediment to the determination of the state government to supply potable water to people of the area.
