“You Lack Empathy, We Are Dying”, — Abia Pensioners Explode

Pensioners in Abia State said the delay in the payment of the arrears of their pensions and gratuity as promised by Governor Alex Otti is as a result of “lack of empathy in government”.

Speaking at a press conference in Umuahia on Monday, the retired civil servants under the aegis of Abia Pensioners Forum accused Governor Otti of lacking the empathy of the plight of senior citizens and urged him to muster the political will to pay off the arrears.

“As stated in our last News Commentary, the government should muster “the political will to pay this retirement benefits.”

The pensioners expressed disappointment that before his election in 2023, Otti criticized the then governor of the state, Okezie Ikpeazu, only to continue the delay and not fulfill his own promises.

“Most unfortunately, the following are sad experiences of pensioners under his administration:

– Unfulfilled promise to clear the arrears of pension and gratuity on or before 31st December, 2023.

– Unfulfilled promise to clear the same on or before 31st March, 2024.

– Attempt to deliberately deny pensioners their arrears of pension and gratuity via purported and unlawful “waiver” or “forfeiture” of these retirement benefits to the government sequel to an obnoxious memorandum of agreement surreptitiously signed with the leadership of Nigerian Union of Pensioners, Abia State council.

– Unfufilled promise on 22nd February, 2025 to revisit the obnoxious memorandum of agreement.

– Erroneous assertion in his media chat of September 2025, that no pensioner in Abia State is owed arrears of pension when the governor has refused to clear the same as inherited from past administrations and on which he campaigned.

– Unfufilled promise to pay the gratuity on or before the end of March, 2026.

Unfulfilled promise to pay the gratuity on or before the end of April, 2026.

– Unfulfilled promise to pay the gratuity on or before the end of May, 2026.

– Unfulfilled promise to pay the gratuity on or before the end of July, 2026.”
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The senior citizens regretted that governor Otti did not only promise to clear these retirement benefits if elected into office, he in addition did not spare the then governor, Okezie Ikpeazu of very severe criticism for lacking empathy on pensioners and for sending them to their early grave for failure to pay them, quoting his open letter published on major national dailies on 12the and 15th July, 2018.

According to them, as at when Ikpeazu’s tenure ended in May, 2023, arrears of pensions had gone up to 60 months, depending on the year of retirement.

“If in 2018, pensioners were subjected to untimely and avoidable death, in 2026, they are buried alive due to the spiral effect of subsidy removal and other excruciating economic factors”, the statement read.

“As at today, many pensioners have died without receiving these benefits. Those still alive need this payment to feed, buy drugs and attend to other subsisting needs and health challenges. Others need these payments to start or complete their projects, especially their retirement homes”, it added.

The retired workers appealed to the Governor to have mercy and show humanity by paying off the retirement benefits as he has promised in several fora.