Pensioners in Abia State Parastatals have appealed to Governor Alex Otti to direct the payment of 13 months pension arrears owed them between December 2023 and January 2025.
In a letter of appeal addressed to the Governor and jointly endorsed by the Chairman joint action commitee, Comrade Chinkwe Ikenyi and Secretary, Chief Ikoro John Ikoro the pensioners recalled that the said arrears were owed due to an erroneous impression that Parastatals pensioners were not verifiable.
“Please recall that Your Excellency stopped the payment of pensions to
parastatals in the state in December 2023 on the erroneous impression and false premise that parastatals pensioners were not verifiable.
“This led to the pensioners in question comprising the BCA,the Abia Newspapers and Publishing Corporation; the Council for Arts and Culture; the Abia State Housing and Property Development Corporation and Umuahia Capital Development Authority (UCDA)writing Your Excellency in June 2024 to prove that they were pensionable”, part of the letter read.
While noting that after this correction of erroneous impression, the Governor approved the verification of parastatal pensioners, they pointed out that the verification was unfortunately and unduly delayed by relevant government agencies leading to the accumulation of the arrears.
They therefore urged the State Chief Executive who had during one of his media chats with journalists in the state assured the concerned pensioners that their money was intact and would be paid to them as soon as they were verified to direct the relevant offices to pay the arrears that led many into borrowing at exorbitant rates in order to survive.
They made it clear that the gesture would enable them manage the deepening hardship in the current Nigerian hyper-inflationary society and assured their continued staunch partnership in realizing
the new Abia of our collective dream.
