Otti approves discriminatory package to retain teachers in rural areas

Governor Alex Otti of Abia State says he has approved a discriminatory compensation package to incentivise teaching services in public schools located in remote areas of the state.

Mr Otti said this on Friday night during the December edition of his monthly media briefing at the Government House, Umuahia.

He said that the initiative would address the persistent challenge of staffing in hard-to-reach areas.

The governor said that by offering tailored benefits to attract and retain educators, the government would be able to provide access to quality education in rural areas.

He said that plans had been made to recruit more teachers to bridge the staffing gaps in underserved parts of the state.

“What we have done in the last few weeks is to put in place a discriminatory compensation package to encourage people to serve in those areas.

“My understanding is that people received it very well and in the next few weeks we intend to see that it has worked, so that we won’t have any institution or any school that is understaffed,” Mr Otti said.

He further said that the government had made significant improvements in the education sector by separating the management of basic and secondary education from tertiary education for better oversight.

Proposed Abia Airport project

On infrastructure development, Mr Otti said that several road projects had been completed and inaugurated for public use.

He said that the dualisation of Onuimo to Abia Tower and reconstruction of Ntigha-Mbawsi-Umuala Road and Umuopara Ring Road had commenced, while more road works would be commissioned before year-end.

He said that the proposed Abia Airport project was upgraded from an airstrip to a full-fledged airport through a collaboration between the federal and the Abia State governments.

According to him, the state government will provide the land and logistics required for the project.

Speaking on budget and planning, the governor said that the 2025 proposed budget of N750.2 billion was designed factoring in the effects of inflation and exchange rate depreciation.

Mr Otti further said that 82 per cent of the budget was allocated to capital expenditure and 18 per cent to recurrent. He also sId 20 per cent was allocated to education and 15 per cent to health.

Rehabilitation of Primary Healthcare Centres

On healthcare, he said that 200 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) were being rehabilitated to ensure that each ward in the state got at least one functional PHC.

He said preparations were ongoing for the construction of the state’s Medical Village, and updates should be expected in the first quarter of 2025.

Mr Otti also said that the state won a prize in the UNICEF Leadership Challenge and commended the Ministry of Health for making the state proud in the competition.

He said that Abia won $400,000, placing second in the South-east and urged the ministry to exercise greater commitment to improve the state’s standing in future competitions.

The governor also spoke on the government’s efforts to improve Agriculture, saying that the government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a company that would invest $120 million in palm production in the Ukwa area and plan to expand.

He said the government had reorganised the state’s security architecture to address insecurity and ensure safety during the festive season and beyond.

He said that he had given directives for swift resolution of the minor issues observed in the implementation of the new minimum wage.

Mr Otti further said that the government, in line with its desire to improve workers’ welfare, had approved the payment of the 13th month salary to the Abia civil servants on or before 18 December.

(NAN)