The Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) last week published the names of 23 states and their disbursement pattern of the bailout fund and singled Abia State and two other states as good models in the disbursement and management of the fund.

Reacting to the development today in Umuahia, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Godwin Adindu, said the declaration by the ICPC is a vindication for Governor Ikpeazu on the discretion he exercised in the handling of the Fund.

According to him, “The endorsement from the ICPC will not come to Abians as a surprise as the Governor, realising that the N14 billion was a far cry from the N39 billion demanded by the state as outstanding salaries, pension and gratuities of the entire civil servants in the state, including local government workers, quickly determined that the money would not be diverted to other uses but must be used for the purpose it was meant to serve.”

Adindu further disclosed that to achieve that aim, the Governor had to adopt a very unique approach by setting up an independent committee headed by the leadership of the labour unions in the state with a mandate that the funds must be deployed for its purpose and that was the settlement of arrears of salaries, pensions and gratuities of workers.

The Chief Press Secretary described Governor Ikpeazu as a servant leader who has come to serve Abians selflessly and will continue to bring honour to the state.