NEWS
GOVERNANCE WITH A HUMAN FACE: DR. CLIFF AGBAEZE APPLAUDS GOV. ALEX OTTI FOR RIGHTING A DECADE-LONG INJUSTICE AGAINST ABIA ADP RETIREES
The Honourable Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Cliff Agbaeze, FCIB, has expressed profound appreciation and heartfelt gratitude to the Executive Governor of Abia State, His Excellency Dr. Alex Chioma Otti, OFR, for approving the payment of long-overdue pension arrears owed to surviving retirees of the Abia State Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) who served the state between 2000 and 2010.
Describing the decision as a historic act of justice, compassion, and visionary leadership, Dr. Agbaeze said the Governor’s approval represents far more than a financial intervention, it is a moral correction of a painful chapter in the lives of senior citizens who devoted their productive years to the agricultural development of Abia State.
For over a decade, these retirees had lived with the painful reality of exclusion from pension benefits following a policy shift that only made ADP employment pensionable in 2011. Those who had faithfully served and retired between 2000 and 2010 were unfortunately left outside the framework, creating a lingering injustice that subjected many of them to years of hardship and uncertainty.
According to the Commissioner, Governor Otti’s swift approval of the retirees’ appeal, submitted through the Office of the Ombudsman/Public Complaints in collaboration with the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, demonstrates the rare empathy and responsiveness that now define governance in Abia State.
Dr. Agbaeze noted that the Governor’s action sends a powerful message that no sacrifice made in the service of the state will ever be forgotten under the current administration.
He emphasized that the decision reflects the core philosophy of Governor Otti’s leadership—that governance must prioritize people, dignity, and fairness above all else.
The Commissioner further stated that the intervention brings renewed hope and relief to elderly citizens who had endured years of neglect before the emergence of Governor Otti’s administration. Many of them, he said, had watched as their peers in other sectors began receiving pension arrears cleared by the Governor, inspiring them to courageously appeal for justice.
Governor Otti’s compassionate response to their plea, Dr. Agbaeze added, once again proves that Abia is now led by a government that listens, acts, and restores confidence in public leadership.
He pointed out that since assuming office, Governor Otti has consistently demonstrated uncommon courage in confronting the heavy burden of debts and arrears inherited from previous administrations. Rather than ignore these obligations, the Governor has steadily cleared them, bringing relief to thousands of workers and retirees across the state.
Among the numerous arrears already settled are several months and years of unpaid salaries and benefits owed to workers across critical institutions, including staff of Abia Polytechnic, Aba, now Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic, Aba; Abia State University Teaching Hospital; Abia State University; the Abia State College of Education Technical Arochukwu; and personnel under the Abia State Health Management Board; as well as teachers across the primary and secondary education systems.
Dr. Agbaeze described these interventions as clear evidence that the present administration is committed to correcting historical injustices and rebuilding the social contract between government and the people.
According to him, the approval of pension arrears for the ADP retirees is particularly significant because it recognizes the critical role agriculture has played in sustaining livelihoods and economic growth in Abia State. By honouring those who laid the foundation for agricultural extension and rural development, the Governor has reaffirmed his administration’s respect for experience, service, and institutional memory.
The Commissioner stressed that the gesture will not only bring financial relief to the retirees but will also restore dignity and reassurance to countless families who depend on them.
Dr. Agbaeze therefore conveyed the profound gratitude of the Ministry of Agriculture, the agricultural community, and the affected retirees to Governor Otti for what he described as a bold and compassionate act of leadership.
He concluded by stating that the Governor’s decision reinforces a defining principle of the present administration that leadership must always place human welfare at the center of governance and that the true measure of government lies in how it treats its most vulnerable citizens.
According to the Commissioner, history will remember this intervention as one of the many defining moments that continue to shape the emerging narrative of responsible, people-centered governance in Abia State under the leadership of Governor Alex Otti.