Abia pensioners go spiritual over unpaid pensions, gratuities

Abia pensioners have turned to prayer and fasting to press home their demand for unpaid pensions and gratuities, urging Governor Alex Otti to fulfill his campaign promises.

The pensioners, under the aegis of the Abia Pensioners’ Forum, concluded a three-day spiritual exercise on Wednesday with an appeal for the governor to honour his pledges made during his campaign.

Speaking at the prayer session, the forum’s coordinator, Okey Kanu, said the exercise was to seek divine intervention in their plight.

“We are asking Jesus Christ to intervene and touch the heart of Governor Otti to pay our arrears of pensions and gratuities as he promised,” Kanu said.

He accused the current administration of attempting to waive the arrears of pension and gratuity through what he described as an “illegal memorandum of agreement” allegedly signed with the state chapter of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners .

“We believe this decision is based on wrong advice, and we plead with the governor to revisit and rescind it. Strength lies in correcting errors, not perpetuating them,” Kanu added.

He further claimed that the government had violated the agreement, which required mutual negotiation in the event of a dispute.

He said, “Our state NUP Exco has denied entering into any agreement to forfeit our arrears. Yet, the governor, during a media chat on November 7, 2024, insisted that the NUP must return any funds received before the matter can be revisited. This statement is vague and unclear, especially as the arrears paid in March 2024 were for debts accumulated by the current administration.”

The pensioners proposed three alternatives to the state government to include, immediate payment of all arrears and gratuities as promised; payment in installments, as done with state tertiary institutions and leaving the arrears for a future administration willing to address the issue.

“To declare these entitlements waived or forfeited after 35 years of labor is unjust. The Bible says a laborer deserves his wages,” Kanu said.

During the session, Pastor Success Obinya of the City Liberation Centre, Aba, uged the pensioners to trust in God’s intervention.

A retiree, Nzimiro Nwokocha, lamented the treatment of pensioners in the state, describing it as “inhumane.”

“Many of us are sick and struggling to survive. This is no way to treat people who served the state diligently,” Nwokocha said.

The pensioners also offered prayers for  Otti, Abia State, and Nigeria, calling on God to remind the governor of his promises and grant them the justice they seek.