Governor Alex Otti of Abia says he is prepared to tackle the N200 billion internal and external debts left behind by the Okezie Ikpeazu’s administration.

Mr Otti said this on Tuesday during an interactive session with journalists at the end of a three-hour closed-door meeting with permanent secretaries at the Michael Okpara Auditorium, Umuahia.

The governor had, in his inaugural speech on Monday, disclosed that his predecessor left a whopping N200 billion internal and external debts and N50 billion unpaid salary arrears.

“Somewhere in my mind, I believe that it is not all the debts that are genuine,” the governor said. “The first thing we will do is to confirm the debts and be sure they are genuine.”

The governor said the issue of ghost worker syndrome would be solved through a forensic audit of headcount and account to restore sanity in the system.

According to him, this will enable the government to ascertain the amount owed to civil servants.

He reaffirmed his campaign promise that the new administration would tackle the challenges of backlogs of unpaid salaries, pensions, and gratuities.

Mr Otti said the meeting with the permanent secretaries allowed him to familiarise himself with them and understand their challenges.

Deputy Governor Ikechukwu Emetu and the Head of Service, Onyii Wamah, attended the meeting. 

(NAN)