Abia State Government has assured Workers in the state that it is working round the clock to ensure that the arrears of salaries are cleared through the use of the bailout funds.

However, the Chairman of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) in the state, Comrade Uche Obigwe, has hinted that the bailout funds given to the state would not be enough to pay up the gratuities. This insinuation is not going down well with the NLC faction led by Comrade Christopher Ezekiel, who thinks that the credibility of the bailout committee should be questioned.

The Abia State Government had given the state bailout committee till the end of October 2015.

Meanwhile, Economic Adviser to Abia State Government, Obinna Oriaku, said that challenges are coming from the fact that the state government applied for arrears of wages of about 39 billion naira, but was given only 14.1 billion naira.

Mr. Oriaku added that notwithstanding the shortfalls, they are doing everything to clear all the arrears, also urging all to be patient. He also hinted that there are challenges with the payment of the Abia State Universal Basic Education (ASUBEB) and pensioners where verifications are currently ongoing to fish out ghost workers. (Channels TV)