The Abia government says the free education programme introduced by the administration of Governor Alex Otti for pupils in public primary and junior secondary schools is already yielding positive results.

The Commissioner for Information and Culture, Okey Kanu, disclosed this on Monday during a press briefing on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting in Umuahia.

Mr Kanu said the development was discovered after a recent data collection conducted by the Abia State Universal Basic Education Board. He said figures obtained from schools and local government education authorities showed that enrolment in public schools across the state rose by more than 100 percent between July and October.

He described the development as an indication of growing public confidence in the state’s education reforms.

“The reforms include the recruitment of 5,394 teachers in the first phase and another 4,000 in the next phase. Government has also ensured prompt payment of salaries, incentives for teachers in hard-to-reach areas, an increase in teachers’ retirement age from 60 to 65 years, regular training, and improvement of learning environments,” he said.

The commissioner said the government was committed to sustaining the gains recorded in the sector, noting that the reforms were designed to restore the standard and quality of public education.

Mr Kanu also announced that Mr Otti would inaugurate the newly completed Umuene Court Building Complex in Isiala Ngwa South LGA on Wednesday. He said the project was part of the present administration’s justice-sector reforms, which include the construction of 17 new courthouses across the state —one in each local government area.

“The Umuene Courthouse represents the first of the 17 new judicial complexes. These state-of-the-art facilities will promote efficiency, improve access to justice, and strengthen the judiciary as a pillar of democracy,” Mr Kanu added.

He further said that in November, the governor would launch the Contributory Pension Scheme for Abia workers, marking a new phase in the administration’s efforts to reform the civil service and prioritise workers’ welfare.

“Since its inception, this administration has cleared outstanding pension arrears owed by previous governments. A committee is currently finalising arrangements for payment of gratuities,” Mr Kanu said.

He promised that, with the new pension scheme, issues of delayed or unpaid pensions would be a thing of the past in Abia.

Mr Kanu reiterated that under the current administration, workers received their salaries and pensions promptly on the 28th of every month.

The commissioner also used the occasion to caution motorists to strictly adhere to traffic regulations, especially as the year draws to a close. He said the Ministry of Transport, in collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Corps, had launched a new road safety campaign tagged ‘Road Safety is a Shared Responsibility — A Drive to Arrive’.

According to him, the campaign aims to curb dangerous practices such as driving against traffic and violation of traffic lane rules, particularly in Aba and Umuahia.

“No one, no matter how highly placed, will be spared if found flouting traffic regulations. Even the governor’s convoy obeys traffic rules,” Mr Kanu said.

He urged residents to cooperate with government agencies to ensure safer roads across the state.