Otti Moves to Reverse 2011 ‘Non-Indigene’ Policy, Raising Hope for Disengaged South-East Civil Servants

Governor Alex Otti has instructed the State’s Head of Service to investigate the recall requests of public personnel from Anambra and other South East states who were disengaged in Abia State in 2011 during the “Non-Indigene” policy, giving them hope.

Otti made this claim on Saturday at a banquet hosted in his honour by Anambra natives in Aba. He called the workers’ disengagement unlawful and said that his government was resolving outdated practices.

In response to 154 Anambra indigenous people who were fired in 2011, the governor of Abia stated that he will examine their situation in order to propose a just solution, even though it occurred long before he took office.

After the assessment, he promised the Anambra indigenous people that those who were still under service age would be re-engaged, and those who were above the age would get compensation.

“A list of 154 people who were disengaged in 2011 has been submitted. I have taken the list and I will ask my people to look at it. I see that the majority of the people were teachers, and I don’t know how old they are, but if they are under 65, we will be able to work out an arrangement where we may re-engage them on a contract basis.

“We have a shortage of teachers, and because we don’t agree that somebody who lives here is not from here, that action in 2011 was illegal,” Otti said.

In response to a claim that the Governor will be backed and elected to the Senate in 2031 following his second term in office, Otti stated that he would just withdraw from active politics to make room for the next generation to serve instead of seeking a seat in the Senate.

Otti said his administration has already eliminated the State of Origin dichotomy and thanked the Anambra residents of Abia for their support since 2023.