BY GORDI UDEAJAH
In his drive to redress the actions he considered illegal, irrational or wrongly taken by his predecessors, the Abia state governor Dr Alex Otti has announced intent to recall non-indigenes hitherto in the state public service but were suddenly and compulsorily disengaged in 2011
The then state administration led by governor Theodore Orji tagged their disengagement ‘ backwarding ‘ to their states of origin even as many were born in Abia state that was created out of old Imo state.
Governor Otti indicated this imminent recall at the weekend while responding to the request during a reception organized and held in his honour at Aba by the Union of Anambra State Associations, Aba Branch, led by Chief Obiora Nwakpadolu as the President General ( PG ).
He also said that their recall would be in line with his drives to address the wrong decisions of his predecessors as ” we want to redress the wrong that was done in the past”
The Association disclosed that the reception was in appreciation of governor Otti’s high performance, commendable programme and sustained achievements in office including that no Nigerian should be discriminated against on the basis of state of origin.
154 Anambra indigenes were said to be among those non indigenes that were disengaged from the Abia State public service in 2011 and ‘backwarded’ to their states of origin without allegedly, paying them their statutory disengagement entitlements.
Otti told the Anambrarians that although the disengagement exercise was done long before he came into office, he would take another look at it and do what is right and just.
He said ” a list of 154 people who were disengaged in 2011 has been submitted. I will ask my people to look at it. I see that majority of the disengaged people were teachers and I don’t know how old they are now.
” But if they are under 65 , ( which is the retirement age for teachers in the state ) , we will be able to work out an arrangement where we may re-engage them on contract basis.
“We have a shortage of teachers, and because we don’t agree that somebody who lives in Abia state cannot be employed here, that action ( disengagement ) in 2011 was illegal.
“So, I will ask the Head of Service to look at it. For those that are of retirement age, we will find a way to compensate them while those below the retirement age and are still willing to work, will be re-engaged”.
He however emphasized that this ( re-engagement ) extends to those of other states that were similarly disengaged , and not limited to Anambra indigenes.
Because some were of Imo and other States in the South East, might have been affected stressing that
“What we are trying to do is to redress the wrong that was done in the past,”
