ON GOING STAFF VERIFICATION: ABIA SAVES #370 MILLION
REPORTER: PEACE AGBO
Abia State Government says it has so far saved 370 million naira within a month following the on going verification of workers.
Briefing journalists in Umuahia after a meeting with the Governor on key areas the government is focussing on, a Commissioner designate and Special Adviser to the Governor on Strategic Communication, Prince Okey Kanu, noted that the Governor was fulfiling his promises to Abia people on those areas where he had declared state of emergency.
According to Prince Kanu, the Governor has fulfiled his promise of payment of salaries on or before the 28 of every month beginning with the June salary, noting that some workers are yet to receive the June salary due to non compliance with verification ordered by the government.
He said the present administration was making steady progress in the core areas of his campaign promises, including health, education, waste management, security and Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
On environmental cleanliness, Prince Kanu identified lack of waste disposal buckets as a factor fraustrating the efforts of the taskforce and maintained that measures were in place to construct more for distribution in Aba and Umuahia.
On health, Prince Kanu indicated that three general hospitals from the three senatorial zones would be reconstructed and equiped within the first 100 days in office of the Governor.
The Commissioner designate also said that plans were on to renovate one primary school from each of the 17 Local Government Areas (LGAs).
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Strategic Communication said security agencies were committed towards steming the tide of crime in Isuikwuato and Ihube axis of the State.
He stressed that the setting up of the panel of inquiry on the recovery of government property and funds belonging to Abia State was the right thing to do as it had made government recover needed resources to work with.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Strategic Communication equally announced that the government had set up a committee to address the menace of street trading.
Also, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on IGR, Mr. Chimereze Okigbo, said the Governor had launched a new app for a new digital tax system.
Mr. Okigbo explained that the app would be able to register every trader, shop and transporter without loosing revenue, as well as make revenue collection seamless.
He said the government would hold a town hall meeting with various stakeholders to interact with them and intimate then on the modalities of the new tax system.
EDITED BY CHUKWUBUIKE MADU
