Abia Pensioners Raise Alarm Over Delayed, Short-Paid Gratuities

ARTICLE

The Abia Pensioners’ Forum has raised concerns over alleged delays and short payments in the disbursement of gratuities to retired workers who left service between 2001 and 2010.

The Forum, while commending Governor Alex Otti for commencing payment of the long-awaited entitlements, alleged that more than half of the beneficiaries in the first batch were yet to receive their payments one month after the exercise began.

In a statement dated September 21, 2026, and signed by its Coordinator, Okey Kanu, and Secretary, Emma Onyenyiri, the pensioners also alleged that some beneficiaries who had been paid received less than the amounts contained in their authorization letters. According to the Forum, some of the shortfalls were above N100,000.

The pensioners urged the Abia State Government to publish the names of beneficiaries who have received payments, alongside the amounts paid to them, to promote transparency in the disbursement of the 2001–2010 gratuities.

The Forum also alleged that a desk office established by the government to receive complaints from pensioners in the affected batch was not functioning. It said this had left elderly retirees moving between the Office of the Head of Service and the Office of the Accountant-General in search of solutions.

The pensioners further questioned reports attributed to the Commissioner for Information that payments would be made gradually and in tranches. They asked whether the N10 billion reportedly earmarked for the 2001–2010 batch was insufficient to settle the beneficiaries.

The Forum warned against any arrangement that could extend the payment of the gratuities until 2031, arguing that prolonged staggered payments could reduce the value of the benefits and leave some elderly pensioners waiting indefinitely.

It also recalled Governor Otti’s 2018 open letter to former Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, in which he reportedly expressed concern over the deaths of pensioners allegedly linked to unpaid benefits.

The pensioners also referenced increased federal allocations following the removal of fuel subsidy, arguing that the state government has sufficient resources to settle the outstanding gratuities at once. They cited Anambra State’s reported payment of N32 billion in retirement benefits in 2007 as an example.

The Forum appealed to Governor Otti to demonstrate empathy by completing the payments promptly and addressing the concerns raised by beneficiaries.

The claims about delayed payments, shortfalls, the functionality of the complaints desk and the availability of funds were made by the Abia Pensioners’ Forum in its statement.