As controversy continues to swirl around the signed agreement that made Abia retirees to forfeit their gratuities and larger chunk of their pension arrears, the senior citizens have appealed to Governor Alex Otti to revisit the matter.
The leadership of the Abia State Council of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) had in March signed a memorandum of agreement with government under which the inherited gratuities and pensions were forfeited.
After Governor Alex Otti announced he had cleared the pension arrears apparently in accordance with the MoA, the NUP leadership turned round and accused government of intimidating and deceiving them to sign off their entitlements.
But pensioners under the aegis of Concerned Abia Pensioners(CAP) at a press conference Monday apologised to Governor Alex Otti to
take another look on the issue of forfeited gratuities of Abia retirees.
The Secretary of the Concerned Abia Pensioners, Comrade Stanley Ibekwe, who read their statement to the media said that the NUP leadership bungled the agreement with government hence misunderstanding.
“We, the Concerned Abia Pensioners, who have been speaking for Abia Pensioners over the years, unequivocally apologise to our Governor for the unprovoked distortions, disinformation and misrepresentations against his person and his government by the NUP,” he said.
“We appeal to him to please take a second look at the issue of gratuity and extend his compassionate intervention by clearing them like he has done on salary arrears, though these arrears were not incurred by his government”.
He further stated that pensioners would be grateful to the Governor to pay the outstanding pension arrears and gratuities “evn if it’s done instalmentally”.
Ibekwe stressed the need for retirees to be paid their gratuities “because, gratuity is the whole essence of the public service and nobody would think of losing his gratuity after his 35 years of service or 60 years of age in the Service”.
The CAP Secretary, who was flanked by the Chairman, Elder John Kalu, the Coordinator Chief Emeka Okezie and other executives, said that the group has been speaking for pensioners when it discovered that NUP leadership was not living up to expectations.
He stated that the NUP leaders did not carry them along in the said agreement reached with the Abia Government, adding that CAP was hopeful the Governor would reconsider the terms of the agreement.
Ibekwe said that members of CAP were happy that, unlike in the past, their pensions are now regular and paid in full under the Otti administration, adding that they now receive their pensions at the same time that workers receive their salaries.
He said that the Abia NUP leadership “should apologise to the Governor Otti and Abians for lying and trying to paint the government black unjustly”.
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