Ikpeazu, Abia gov, slashes salary by 50% to pay workers

Okezie Ikpeazu, governor of Abia state, on Monday announced the slashing of his salary and travel allowance by 50%.

Ikpeazu said the situation would remain so until the backlog of workers’ salaries and allowances owed are cleared and promised to do everything to ensure that such entitlements are  paid as and when due.

He made this known at government house, Umuahia, during the swearing-in of Vivian Uma as the state’s new head of service (HOS).

The governor also called on other appointees to follow his example if they can, saying there was need to cut down on the cost of governance.

He also suggested the introduction of new ways of doing things and laid emphasis on improving the internally generated revenue (IGR) of the state.

Responding,  Uma thanked the governor for giving her the opportunity to serve and promised to bring about innovation for efficient  service delivery,  adding that discipline and sound ethical conduct will be enthroned in the service under his watch.

Some workers and pensioners in the state have not been paid in the last six months.