The governor of Abia, Okezie Ikpeazu has reacted to the report alleging he asked doctors in the state to forfeit their 16-month salary arrears.
A recent media report had quoted the Publicity Secretary of Nigeria Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr Stanley Egbogu, to have said that Governor Ikpeazu asked the doctors in the state to forfeit the 16-month salary arrears owed them for him (Ikpeazu) to start implementing the new minimum wage for doctors in the state.
But in a statement on Sunday by the state Commissioner for Information, John Okiyi Kalu, the state government denied the report and said it was false.
He asked Nigerians to discard the report, saying that the Abia State government under Ikpeazu leadership was determined to support ailing state parastatals, pay workers regularly and clear due arrears.
The statement read in part, “We wish to state categorically that contrary to the claims by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), at no time did Governor Okezie Ikpeazu or Abia State Government ask resident doctors or any other worker of the state to forfeit any salary arrears.
“The administration is determined to continue to support ailing state parastatals to pay workers regularly and clear due arrears as we have been regularly paying state workers in our Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) without owing any month in arrears.”
