Pensioners in Abia State have called on Governor Alex Otti to reconsider and annul the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed with their leaders, which they claim has unfairly impacted their retirement benefits.
The Abia Pensioners' Forum, a pressure group within the state chapter of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), made this plea on Wednesday in Umuahia.
The forum's coordinator, Okey Kanu, addressed the media, urging the governor to pay the remaining pension arrears and gratuity owed to them. This comes after Governor Otti disclosed that his administration had spent over ₦9billion from a ₦10billion allocation to offset accumulated pension arrears left by the previous government under Okezie Ikpeazu.
Kanu highlighted that many pensioners were owed up to 60 months of arrears, with the last gratuity payment dating back to 2002. He commended Governor Otti for the regular payment of monthly pensions since April and his developmental efforts in the state. However, he stressed the need for the balance of their pension arrears and gratuity to be paid, even suggesting instalment payments if a lump sum is not feasible.
"In effect, signing the MOA containing the forfeiture of our gratuity in addition was ultra vires to NUP officers, hence not binding on our members," Kanu stated. He further explained that the issue of gratuity was never part of their initial negotiations with the government, making the MOA's terms unacceptable.
Kanu, a legal practitioner, emphasized that the arrears of pension and gratuity are non-negotiable as they are "personal, statutory and legitimate entitlements" earned during their service. He argued that gratuity is essentially savings from their salaries, meant to be paid immediately upon retirement.
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