Abia pensioners appeal to Otti to rescind decision on gratuity
From Boniface Okoro, Umuahia
Abia pensioners, under the aegis of Concerned Abia Pensioners, have appealed to Governor Alex Otti to take a second look at the issue of their unpaid gratuity and rescind his decision on it as allegedly agreed by the leadership of the Abia State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP).
The group lambasted the Abia NUP leadership for allegedly lying against and misrepresenting Governor Otti and his administration over the controversy that has been trailing the issue of pension payment by the Otti administration.
The pensioners appealed to the Governor to extend his compassionate intervention by clearing the gratuity like he has done with salary arrears. They said they would not mind if the Governor clears the gratuity by installment.
The Concerned Abia Pensioners said that the NUP did not carry them along in the said agreement it reached with the Abia State Government but expressed hope that the Governor would take a second look at the decision.
The Secretary, Concerned Abia Pensioners, Comrade Stanley Ibekwe, flanked by the Chairman, Elder John Kalu, the Coordinator, Chief Emeka Okezie, among other executive members of the group, said that they are happy that their monthly pensions are now paid regularly and in full under Governor Alex Otti, alongside current workers.
“While we, the Concerned Abia Pensioners, who have been speaking for Abia Pensioners over the years, unequivocally apologise to our Governor for the unprovoked distortions, disinformation and misrepresentations against his person and his government by the NUP,
we appeal to him to please take a second look at the issue of gratuity and ensure that though these arrears were not incurred by his government, but that he extends his compassionate intervention by clearing them like he has done on salary arrears, even if it’s done by installments.
“This is because, gratuity is the whole essence of the public service and nobody would think of losing his gratuity after his 35 years of service or 60 years of age in the Service,” the Concerned Pensioners said.
The Concerned Abia Pensioners accused the leadership of NUP of suddenly finding its voice “after years of silence and insensitivity,” adding that the NUJ leadership “should apologise to the Governor and Abians for lying and trying to paint the government black unjustly.” They equally described the sudden agitation by the NUP as self-serving and politically-motivated.
“The question is; why did NUP keep quiet over the years, and surreptitiously supported the PDP government that owed our members over the years by refusing to talk, only to suddenly turn around to attack, vilify and lie against the present government that has not only defrayed a chunk of the pension arrears owed by the past government, but has started paying pensioners regularly and in full?” Ibekwe stated.
Comrade Ibekwe also alleged that the leadership of NUP had locked out other members of the NUP from the hall built and donated to all of them by Rotary Club of Umuahia to serve as a resting hall for all pensioners.
“We were locked out because they accused us of working against the PDP government and supporting Dr. Alex Otti in those dark days of our struggle. This action made us to be staying outside, under the sun to hold our meetings up till now. This is verifiable.” Ibekwe claimed.
The Concerned Pension’s diatribe against the leadership of Abia NUP is coming after the latter had accused officials of the present administration of allegedly deceiving and coercing them into signing a document purporting that they signed away their gratuity.
Leadership of Abia NUP, during a Press Conference in October, claimed that Governor Otti’s Commissioners and aides made them to sign the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) in the night without allowing them to read through the document.
They said that when they went through the document which they said were prepared by government officials, they discovered to their utter shock, that the document stated that they have signed away their gratuity.
They said that since they signed the controversial document, all their efforts to meet with the Governor to iron out the issue failed, hence their going public.
When their claim was tabled before Governor Otti, during his monthly Media Chat in October, he said that payment of arrears of pensions to the retired workers was sequel to the MoA and that if the NUP wants to return to the negotiating table, they should return all pensions so far paid them since March this year.
The Governor also broached the issue during his recent meeting with workers in the state.
During the meeting held at the State Secretariat at Ogurube Layout, the Governor who was said to have frowned t the attitude of NUP for turning round to accuse government of deceiving them after the agreement, was quoted to have said: “The first time I met with the NUP leadership, they were clear to me to say that what was important to them was to be able to get the government to commit to paying them 100 percent of their pension from that month, and forget about the arrears and I felt it was not fair.”
