Abia Pensioners Raise Alarm Over Gratuity Payment, Allege Shortfalls And Delays

The Abia Pensioners’ Forum has commended the Abia State Government for commencing payment of gratuity to retired workers, but raised concerns over alleged delays and short payment of entitlements.

In a press release dated September 21, 2026 and signed by its Co-ordinator, Okey Kanu, Esq. and Secretary, Comrade Emma Onyenyiri, the Forum said it appreciates Governor Alex Otti for summoning the political will to begin payment for those who retired between 2001 and 2010.

However, the Forum said information from its members in the batch indicates that more than half of them had not been paid one month after commencement, while those paid received less than their full entitlement, with some recording shortfalls of over N100,000.

It also alleged that the desk office established by government to receive complaints from pensioners in the 2001-2010 batch is not functional, leaving elderly pensioners being tossed between the Office of the Head of Service and the Office of the Accountant-General.

The group urged government to be transparent by publishing names of beneficiaries in each batch and the amount payable to each retiree as contained in their Authorisation Letters.

The Forum further questioned statements credited to the Commissioner for Information that disbursement would be gradual and in tranches, asking whether the N10 billion allegedly earmarked for the 2001-2010 batch was insufficient.

It faulted the plan to stretch gratuity payment to 2031, describing it as a disservice to pensioners who have endured years of deprivation. The Forum argued that when Governor Otti promised in 2015, 2019 and 2023 to clear pension and gratuity arrears, and later promised in December 2023 to clear them by March 2024, there was no mention of payment by instalments till 2031.

It said the staggered payment creates uncertainty, erodes value, and may mean many pensioners will not live to receive their benefits, recalling the governor’s own open letter to former Governor Okezie Ikpeazu in 2018 where he lamented deaths of pensioners over unpaid benefits.

Citing improved federal allocations following fuel subsidy removal, the Forum said government has enough resources to pay at once, noting that Anambra State paid N32 billion in retirement benefits in 2007.

The pensioners urged Governor Otti to show empathy and pay up promptly, quoting Bible and Quran verses earlier cited by the governor in his 2018 letter.