By Uche Aguoru



Abia state governor Dr. Alex Otti ordered a reversion of all the command promotions made to civil servants from 2015 to 2023. this means that all the affected civil servants who received promotions and salary increments within the 8 years of Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu's administration should return to their former ranks and salaries and part of the reasons given was that it is aimed at restoring sanctity and seniority in the service. 


While nobody is against civil service reforms, what Abians are demanding is a thorough and holistic process with a human face devoid of sectional or vindictive agenda, interestingly it has become palpable that Governor Otti is hiding under civil service reform policy to pursue a vindictive agenda.


Governor Otti, if there is any attempt at destroying the civil service your administration is inexcusably guilty, in an unprecedented manner you sacked Permanent Secretaries without recourse to procedure and civil service rules, and appointed a deputy director as the head of Service in a structure hosting permanent secretaries and directors.


Is it, not an aberration that you employed an Accountant General outside the state civil service structure and against the civil service rules, gave her a waiver and command promotion that placed her on level 16 in the civil service, what will then happen to all the permanent secretaries and those you imported from Lagos and other places outside the state who are today enjoying same privilege or is the witch hunt limited to only those favoured by the Ikpeazu administration?


It is only in Otti's Abia state that a governor will wake up and sack career civil servants in flagrant disregard for civil service rules and procedure and NLC will look the other way.


Where else does it happen that the Chief Security Officer to a governor will issue queries and commands to civil servants if not under Alex Otti's government?


Where else in Nigeria does a Local Government Chairman pay his Chief of Staff 30k monthly in today's Nigeria except in Abia state? 


Mr Governor why are you so mean and wicked to civil servants that you intentionally deny them the wage awards that President Tinubu graciously granted to civil servants across the nation? 


Abia is an oil-producing state and today we are enjoying an unprecedented increase in 13% derivation principle, why have you refused to grant the civil servants any form of palliative to ease their suffering like their counterparts in other states are enjoying? 


Can your government in all honesty deny that the reason you subject the Abia civil servant to unending verification exercises after they have submitted their details through APMART is not just to continue denying a section of the state workforce their due salary even with all the huge and unexplained deductions from their meager salaries? 


Why does your government lack value for empathy and welfarism? 


My Governor, why do you enjoy the tears,  torture, and suffering of the people, especially the civil servants?  


For the sake of decency, I have chosen not to discuss the CLANNISH agenda behind the sack, suspensions, and even salary denials of some workers in the state civil service which was corroborated last week, by Mr. Mike Akpara, Otti's commissioner for finance, when he came live on radio in Umuahia and made some unfortunate statement alluding to CLANNISH PROFILING of a section of the state to justify the sack of over 15000 legitimately employed civil servants, the incessant verifications and non-payment of workers salaries. 


For the sake of emphasis, every governor that has governed Abia since 1999 including you Governor Otti, gave command promotions to civil servants it would have been fair if the reform as you would want us to believe is extended to cover the period predating the Ikpeazu term, failure to do so will validate the suspicion of ruinous clannish cleansing policy that your administration is alleged to be pursuing. 


With all these verifiable facts,  I dare ask, Governor Otti,  who destroyed the civil service?


Aguoru is  A Public Affairs Analyst