By Desire Emmanuel
The problems being faced by the old citizens, especially those who have used their productive lives to work for the governments, came to fore again when indications emerged that some retirees in Abia State were being owed pensions for 24 years.
The state governor, Alex Otti, confirmed the development on Friday night, saying his administration is poised to begin the gradual payment of verified gratuity and pension arrears owed since 2001.
Otti disclosed this during his monthly media chat with newsmen at the Government House, Umuahia, on Friday night.
He said that the state government had reviewed all pending pension claims and worked closely with the pension union to verify outstanding gratuities before taking any payment decisions.
He said: “The committee that we set up between the national body of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners and members of my administration has just handed in the report.
“If you recall, after appeals had been made, we decided to look at it again and we have done that. It is disheartening that pensions have remained outstanding since 2001 and the total verified outstanding pensions is in excess of N60 billion.”
Otti described the arrears as “a very large number, dating back over 20 years,” adding that his administration must confront inherited liabilities.
“Government is continuous, and whatever you are handed over, you deal with it. If it is assets, if it is liability, you pick all of them. We are unafraid to work out a solution,” he said.
Otti assured pensioners in the state that his administration would not abandon them.
“One thing I would like to assure our pensioners is that their gratuity will be paid gradually,” he said.
He said that the payment of workers’ salaries was up to date, emphasising that staff welfare remained a top priority for the government.
Otti also addressed a payment glitch that affected the newly recruited teachers.
He said: “I have instructed everyone involved that they cannot have a weekend until every affected teacher is paid.
“By the end of Sunday, all the people who are affected will receive their salaries.”
