Otti also reassured retired and serving men of the Nigerian Armed Forces that his administration will continue to support them
By Kehinde Okeowo
Abia State governor, Alex Otti, on Sunday refuted claims that he is yet to pay judiciary workers in the state.
He made this known while speaking at Queen Elizabeth Chapel in Umuahia during the 2025 Armed Forces Celebration service.
He was reacting to the ongoing strike action by members of the Abia State chapter of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN).
According to Otti, his attention was drawn to newspaper reports where the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) said it advised him to pay judiciary workers.
He went on to clarify that his administration is not owing workers, explaining that leaders of JUSUN refused to participate in a minimum wage negotiation organised by his administration but opted to prepare their own calculations in their office, which he said was discovered to be filled with errors.
Otti added, “On the 24th of December, we remitted N283,242,318.50 to the judiciary.
“Interestingly, as of this morning, they have refused to pay their workers. Now, the judiciary is an arm of government that is independent. Our job is to remit the money to their account, and their job is to pay their workers.”
He further said he approved an additional N27 million for the judiciary workers and paid their thirteenth-month salary, wondering why they remained on strike.
The governor advised judiciary workers to hold their union leaders responsible and also advised the NBA to properly understand the situation.
He used the church service to reassure the retired and serving men of the Nigerian Armed Forces that his administration would continue to support them.