How the Grassroots are not being watered in Abia State, why Tinubu is not the reason || By Obinna Oriaku 

Mr President, Sen. Ahmed Bola Tinubu, at the National Economic Council meeting chaired by the Vice President in late 2025, made an unusual appearance at the meeting.

The essence of his attendance was basically to engage the Governors on the need to cascade the benefits of the institutional reforms and also help cushion the harsh economic realities that came with the removal of fuel subsidy and floating of the Naira.

Unfortunately, many Governors that stroll to the Villa to confess their support and love are the major reasons Nigerian citizens are against Mr President and APC as a party.

Just last month, July 2026, N3.7 trillion was shared among the federating units, and this appears to be the biggest amount ever shared by FAAC.

The questions on the lips of many Nigerians are: how does this N3.7 trillion affect the cost of living of the average Nigerian?

A look at Abia State and the support of Mr President’s reform programme and why the citizens despise Mr President and APC as a party.

The non-implementation of the 70k  minimum wage

Abia State Government still pays workers under ANSEPA, the road sweepers, N23k a month. Unfortunately, the majority of the road sweepers are among the poorest of the poor, widows and widowers, orphans and dehumanised adults.

Abia State Government is still paying Abia Advertising Agency workers N55k a month. The workers under an agency in the Ministry of Transport called ASPIMS are still being paid N40k.

Who will tell these workers that President Tinubu is not their problem? How will they know that in the 4th QTR of 2025, Abia State Government received a total revenue of N60b monthly between Oct and Dec 2025,  based on the financial report published by Abia State Government under the SFTAS programme?

In August 2025, I wrote about an in-law, though a cleaner at Abia State University Teaching Hospital(ABSUTH)who was being paid N29k until I wrote against such injustice. The Nurses were paid N90k, whereas their colleagues in Imo State were paid N300k entry level, including medical doctors in Abia who are paid N280k while their colleagues in Imo state are paid N503k. Untill last week,  Professors  at Abia State University Uturu were paid N380k monthly whereas their colleagues in other state universities earn over a million…. 

Who will tell these impoverished Abians that in the month of July, Abia received total revenue of about N46b, while monthly salary, pension obligations stood at N14b.What did the state do with the rest N32b in a month?

In the South East, Abia is the least in salary payment. The entry level, which is Level 4, is N104k in Imo, Anambra N90k, Enugu N90k, Ebonyi N90k, Abia N70k.

Pension and gratuity

Abia State Government demonstrated insincerity when the Governor, on May 2023 at the swearing-in ceremony, promised to clear the arrears of these pensioners, including gratuity, who supported his election, even if it means approaching the commercial banks to borrow.

The Government of Abia State just remembered these pensioners last week after almost 4 years. Who will tell these pensioners that the hardship they are facing is not exclusively coming from the institutional reforms of Mr President?

The Abia Government, as confirmed by the leadership of Abia Pensions Association, said that they were forced to sign off or forfeit their gratuity to the state government.

Abia State Government and the pensioners have been in dagger-drawn since Nov. 2023, when the pensioners demonstrated about the treatment meted out to them.

Unfortunately,  Abia State Government ran to the press last week stating they have paid gratuity, the N61b outstanding gratuity, which other states in Nigeria concluded 3 years ago, they turned and told pensioners that their gratuity payment will be paid instalmentally till 2031.

Why are pensioners being subjected to this treatment? Is the instalmental payment occasioned by lack of funds or just wickedness? For clarity, Imo State used N112b to clear arrears starting from 2005, Anambra used N27b to clear arrears left by Willy Obiano, as Peter Obi left no arrears, Enugu has deployed close to N45b being arrears from 2010, Ebonyi State used N40b to clear, Zamfara deployed over N80b in clearing both state and local government arrears. Why is Abia different?

In line with economic reality, the National Pension Association agitated and baseline payment of pension nationwide was increased to N32k. While other states like Enugu, Anambra and Imo have implemented this policy, in Abia, pensioners are still paid N1,500k, (One thousand five Hundred Naira)N4,000 Four thousand Naira),and  N7,000( Seven Thousand Naira)in today’s Nigeria.

Last week, during the media chat, the Governors insisted that   pension increments can only come after clearing the gratuity which the state government staggered till 2031.

Who will tell these pensioners that retired from old Imo State that Tinubu is not their problem? How will they be convinced that Federal government is not the reason why N1,500 ( One thousand five hundred Naira), which cannot buy pure water being paid, is not coming from Tinubu? Will Tinubu come from Abuja to ensure the N32k baseline payment is implemented in Abia and few other states.

Investment in Agriculture is the sure way of cushioning the harsh impact of reforms that  guarantees food security. 

Abia State has no agricultural policy. It was just last month that we saw distribution of farm seedlings after 3 years, though overshadowed with media hype. Some states are deliberate in their investment in agriculture, understanding its impact on food security, from Niger, kebi, lagos to Enugu etc.

In QTR 3 2025, Abia State Government spent N336m on Agriculture, while the same Government spent N1.8b on Abia State Orientation Agency. I later discovered that Abia State Government employed 4 persons in each of the  184 wards who are paid N100k just to counter any anti-Abia government position on social media while sustaining the propaganda of governance. This shows the focus of the government.

Transportation as an enabler

Abia Government, two years ago, announced that they had procured 100 units of electric buses many years after acknowledging the FG interventions in the transport sector.

Abia state government have received 40 units of electric buses from China, which were dramatized all over the media. They also celebrated the bus terminal in Umuahia an end in itself. The question is, how has that affected the cost of transportation in Abia?

Kindly note that 100% of the payments (salaries and pensions) are paid in Naira and have no foreign exchange effect.

Ekwedike will start to engage on basic issues that will expose the hidden curves. I have been off major media engagement for a while, but as the campaigns start, we will be busy telling Abia and Nigerians why continuity of the institutional reforms remains the only option.

This means that APC should be re-elected at the national level, while at the state we support change, as Abians cannot survive the next four years of the current vindictive, deceitful and manipulative government.

Those employed under Abia Orientation Agency and many pseudo accounts can start the insults instead of responding to the issues raised above.

Before you waste your data insulting Ekwedike, kindly note that media aides of the Governor control about N25m each monthly.

Obinna Oriaku 

Ekwedike