The Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP), Abia State chapter has called on Abia State Government to urgently and seriously review the so- called Memorandum of Agreement, MOA, particularly, sections 7(a) and (b), allegedly written by Government Officials.
Addressing a news conference in Umuahia on Thursday, the Chairman NUP Abia chapter, Chukwuemeka Irondi accompanied by the Secretary, Uma Kalu, and the Executive members, said the call has become necessary following the persistent claim by the State Government that it has cleared 45 months arrears of pensions and gratuities owed Abia Retirees.
He made it clear that the leadership of the union at no point in time discussed the issue of gratuities with the Representatives of Abia State Government, alleging further that the documents said to have been signed by them forfeiting their gratuities and 45 months pensions arrears were written by aides to Governor Alex Otti and not by them.
“My people are still crying that what is due to them has not been paid. We are not satisfied, nobody is happy.
“We never discussed gratuities at any point let alone talking about waiving of any enrollments of pensions including gratuities.
“Nobody has the authority of imposing the waiving of gratuities on Abia pensioners for any reason,” he vehemently stressed.
The Chairman pointed out that what the Governor cleared was pension arrears from June 2023 to March 2024, which they said was accumulated under his administration.
According to him “claims to have cleared ten years of pensions arrears has no basis in the union’s (NUP) records”.
Elder Irondi noted that it amounts to dis-service and hypocrisy to use NUP Executive and Pensioners as scape goats and sacrificial lamb “to attract national and international grants for selfish reasons”.
According to the NUP chairman, aides to the Abia State governor tricked the Executive of the union into submitting the Union’s headed paper which was allegedly used by the aides in writing the purported Memorandum of Agreement.
Justifying the Union delay in reacting to the controversy, the NUP argued that since they were allegedly coerced into signing the agreement by Government Officials, their lawyer needed time to study the infamous document before advising them on the next line of action.
