Governor Alex Otti’s administration has approved the monthly payment of stipends ranging from N250,000 to N350,000 to traditional rulers in the state.
Okey Kanu, the information commissioner, made the announcement on Monday during a press conference on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting in Umuahia.
Mr Kanu further said that members of the Traditional Rulers Council at the state and local government leadership levels will henceforth receive an additional N100,000 each month. Mr Kanu emphasized the Abia government’s commitment to recognizing Abia traditional rulers and promoting the state’s cultural heritage.
The commissioner highlighted the state’s determination to rebase its 30-year development plan to meet current economic conditions. Mr Kanu stated that the Abia economic team in charge of the job would be inaugurated shortly.
He also stated that the government had restructured the State Harmonised Taskforce to ensure full compliance with its regulations regarding street trading and driving against traffic.
Mr Kanu further stated that in the past, the state administration had expressed concerns about street dealing and driving against traffic, which had bad consequences.
He said the government had taken serious steps to ensure that the rules would be enforced to stop these practices in Abia. Regarding education, the commissioner said that the government had commenced the implementation of its out-of-school policy by reopening schools in the state after the Yuletide holidays.
According to NAN, Mr Kanu also said a special task force had been established to ensure compliance with the initiative aimed at eradicating the phenomenon of out-of-school children in Abia.