Abia Governor Denies Telling Doctors To Forfeit Their 16-Months Salary Arrears

Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu has debunked media reports claiming he told doctors in the state to forfeit their 16-month salary arrears.

Various media reports through the Publicity Secretary of Nigeria Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr Stanley Egbogu, quoted the Governor saying that doctors in the state to forfeit the 16-month salary arrears to start implementing the new minimum wage for doctors in the state.

However, a statement on Sunday by the state Commissioner for Information, John Okiyi Kalu, the state government denied the report and said it was false.

He asked Nigerians to discard the report, saying that the Abia State government under Ikpeazu leadership was determined to support ailing state parastatals, pay workers regularly and clear due arrears.

The statement read in part, “We wish to state categorically that contrary to the claims by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), at no time did Governor Okezie Ikpeazu or Abia State Government ask resident doctors or any other worker of the state to forfeit any salary arrears.

“The administration is determined to continue to support ailing state parastatals to pay workers regularly and clear due arrears as we have been regularly paying state workers in our Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) without owing any month in arrears.”