Remo Stars claimed a 1-0 victory over Sunshine Stars in the South West derby in Ikenne on Saturday.

Debutant Shuaib Ibrahim scored the winning goal in the seventh minute.

Ibrahim met a lofted ball from Ifeanyi Anaemena and slotted the ball home after dribbling past a defender.

Remo Stars had other chances to double their lead but were let down by their poor finishing.

The Ikenne club extended their winning run to two games.

The defeat was Sunshine Stars’ first in the 2024/25 season.

In line with his electioneering promises, Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has commenced the payment of salary arrears owed academic workers in the state by his predecessors.

An official source close to the state Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, said the workers include those from Abia State University, Abia State Polytechnic, Abia State College of Education (Technical Arochukwu), Abia State Teaching Hospital, and the Health Management Board, Umuahia.

Others listed are the state-owned institutions of higher learning, including the College of Health Sciences, Aba, Abia State Universal Basic Education Board, and the Secondary Education Management Board, among others.

The state Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday.

He said, “The office of the Accountant General has commenced the payment of the arrears to all verified workers amounting to N17,629,767,342.09 (Seventeen billion, six hundred and twenty-nine million, seven hundred and sixty-seven thousand, three hundred and forty-two naira, nine kobo only).”

The Abia State Government stated that the payment would follow a 12-month amortization plan, with the first batch already disbursed to the affected institutions.

This structured payment is meant to ensure that other areas of governance do not suffer from lack of attention due to limited financial resources.

“By this development, the Dr. Alex Otti-led administration has once more demonstrated its commitment to the promotion and sustenance of the welfare of Abia State civil servants at all times,” the Commissioner said.

Affirming the information through a separate statement he also issued on the matter, the Chief Press Secretary to the state governor, Ukoha Njoku, said, “Governor Alex Otti has paid the first tranche of the arrears of workers’ salaries owed by the immediate past administration.

“The governor earmarked N1.5bn monthly to instalmentally offset the N18bn arrears of salaries within 12 months. Governor Otti feels fulfilled with the thunderous jubilation and excitement of Abia workers than the bitterness of those denied access to statutory workers and retirees’ entitlements.”

Beneficiaries of the student loan scheme under the Nigeria Education Loan Fund have confirmed payment of the August 2024 stipends.

NELFUND had said the delay in the payment was due to certain security architecture put in place to ensure verification of students’ data.

Sunday PUNCH gathered that students can choose to apply for upkeep loan apart from institutional loans paid directly to institutions.

A total of 20,371 students from six tertiary institutions were said to have been paid a sum of N20,000 each for their July stipends.

The institutions said to have benefitted from the disbursement are Bayero University, Kano State; Federal University, Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State; University of Ilorin, Kwara State; University of Benin, Edo State; University of Ibadan, Oyo State; and University of Maiduguri, Borno State.

Some of the students who spoke to our correspondent confirmed receipt of their upkeep allowances.

A student of the University of Benin who spoke to our correspondent under anonymity said, “Thanks for the earlier story, I have received my August upkeep allowance.”

Another student of the University of Ilorin who also spoke under anonymity said, “The upkeep money was paid two days ago. Initially, we were worried but now we are relieved even though we pray that they increase the upkeep.”

Another student of the institution who simply identified as Julius, said, “Yes, I received my upkeep loan already. Thanks for following up.”

Meanwhile, the National Association of Nigerian Students has called on the Federal Government to increase the monthly stipend from N20,000 to N40,000.