Pensioners accuse Abia NUP leaders of locking them out of donated hall

Pensioners in Abia State under the aegis of Concerned Abia Pensioners have accused the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP, Abia State chapter of locking them out of a hall donated by a group to all pensioners in the state, to serve as their resting place.

The ill-treatment, according to the Concerned Abia Pensioners has resulted in them holding their meeting in the open, under the sun, to date.

The retirees who bemoaned their fate on Monday while speaking to the press, said the the NUP leadership accused them of working against the past PDP administration and supporting Governor Alex Otti.

The Secretary of the Concerned Pensioners, Stanley Ibekwe who read the address, narrated their ordeal in response to the October 2024 press briefing by the leadership of NUP.

Ibekwe who was flanked by Chairman, John Kalu, Coordinator, Emeka Okezie and other members, noted that the NUP executives did not carry the generality of pensioners in any agreement they had with the Abia State government.

“This action has kept us outside under the sun for our meetings up till now. This is verifiable” Ibekwe said.

They appealed to Governor Alex Otti to take a second look at the issue of arrears of gratuity of Abia retirees and rescind his decision as agreed by the leadership of the Abia State chapter of the NUP, even as they said that the arrears were inherited from previous administrations.

Ibekwe said his members were apologizing to Governor Alex Otti for any misrepresentations against his person and his government by the leadership of the NUP, stressing that gratuity is important in the life of every pubic servant.

The executives of Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP in Abia State, had in a press conference held in Umuahia in October, accused Governor Alex Otti’s administration of trying to coarse them into a Memorandum of Agreement to forfeit their gratuities and pensions arreers.