Member representing Aba South state constituency in the Abia State House of Assembly, Hon. Obinna Ichita, has asked Abia workers to disregard the automatic promotion to the next grade level as announced by Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu, dismissing it as a fake promise.
The lawmaker who spoke at a press conference in Umuahia, said that it was hard to believe that a Governor who had not paid doctors for 24 months and owed pensioners for years would announce promotion for all civil servants less than eight weeks to the end of his tenure.
He wondered why the governor had to wait until few weeks to leave office before remembering civil servants.
The lawmaker who claimed that the move was an attempt to influence civil servants to vote for the ruling party’s candidates in the forthcoming governorship and house of assembly elections, urged Abia workers not to fall for the trick.
He further alleged that the Governor had not been known to keep his promises, adding that there is no budgetary provision for the automatic promotion in the current budget.
” Of recent, the outgoing government of Abia State has been engaging in exceptional acts of subterfuge. Before now, the Government had promised our people that it was going to embark on interventionist measures in Abia North and some other LGAs.
” But I addressed the press and told our people that this Government does not keep promises. They promised us Enyimba Economic City but failed to deliver it. They promised traders in Ariaria International Market that they would park into their rebuilt stalls latest by December 6, 2021 but failed.
” They promised traders in Ahia Ohuru that by 29th of May, 2021, that within six weeks they would complete the demolition and reconstruction of their stalls but failed. All those promises were fake. This one also, just like those ones, cannot fly.
” Why I said that this promise will fail is because as a lawmaker, I know there is no provision in this years budget to cover the cost implications on the recurrent expenditure.
“If the Government were sincere about the automatic promotion, it would have included this in the budget so that we will know we are expecting our people to be promoted and paid their salaries.
” The Government has no plans to pay. Civil servants should disregard this fake promise from this failed Government that has perpetually subjected our people to exceptional servitude.
” This is a government that has not paid leave allowances since 2015; not promoted anybody; and that has not paid salary of doctors and teachers and others when due. Now barely two few weeks to the expiration of its tenure, it’s announcing automatic promotion for everybody.
” This is nothing but deception!, It’s an insult to the collective intelligence of the people of Abia State. What it just shows is that Abia Government thinks that our people are so stupid; it thanks that we have suspended our intelligence, and would be carried away by fake promises.
” I, urge civil servants to ignore, as always, the Government of Abia State under Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu because it has always made fake promises which it never fulfilled.
” They promised us Education City in Owerrinta, it wasn’t fulfilled; they promised us underground tunnel at Ariaria/ Ifeobara , it wasn’t fulfilled; they promised total rehabilitation of the health sector, where is it?”
The lawmaker accused the State Government of enslaving civil servants in the state.
“What Abia Government is doing to civil servants is nothing but labour exploitation. People have not been paid for 25 months; hospitals shut down because of salary arrears owed doctors. How can you treat your kinsmen as they are slaves just because you are in power?”
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