Abia State Governor Dr. Alex Otti has signed off on the Consolidated Legislative Salary Structure (CONLESS) for employees of the Abia State House of Assembly and its Service Commission, raising their pay by 25 percent. The approval, announced in a government statement, will take effect from January 2027.
The new salary framework, described as the first of its kind in Nigeria’s South‑East geopolitical zone, will increase the remuneration of the affected parliamentary staff by a quarter. With the move, Abia becomes the inaugural state in the region to adopt CONLESS for its legislative workforce.
According to the statement, the governor’s decision follows a recommendation from the Committee on CONLESS. The committee’s proposal was reviewed and subsequently endorsed by Governor Otti, setting the implementation timeline to begin at the start of 2027.
CONLESS is the standardized pay structure applied to legislative personnel in both the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly, as well as their respective Service Commissions. While the model has been in place elsewhere, several states have yet to adopt it despite ongoing calls from parliamentary workers for its rollout.
The government said the approval underscores Governor Otti’s commitment to workers’ welfare, fairness, and the strengthening of democratic institutions in Abia State.
<small>Source: The Sun Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
