For the past weeks, there has me media reports, alleging that Dr. Alex Otti led administration has cleared arrears of pension owed retired Abia workers since the administration of past Governors, Orji Uzor kalu, TA Orji and Okezie Ikpeazu, spanning 24 years.
Few days later, the media aides to Abia state Governor, Dr. Alex Otti came out with yet another version of paying 9 years arrears of pension to retired Abia workers and this has caused problem in the state between the Governor’s loyalists and the opposition parties and concerned Abia citizens.
However, all these can now be put to rest as the Abia state Chairman, Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Elder Chukwuebuka Irondi has cleared the air during his interview with www.newsmirrorng.com. Speaking to us on phone, Elder Irondi thanked Governor Alex Otti for coming to the plight of Abia pensioners by making some payments to them but frowned at the propaganda that they were paid 9 years. Elder Irondi told our report that, what was paid was not even the arrears owed by the past administrations, but the arrears owned by Otti government.
In his words ” When Dr. Alex Otti was sworn – in, he started paying us half pension from June, 2023 to February, 2024. But, this time, what he paid us in March 2024 is the balance of the arrears accrued by his own government and a paltry insignificant sum on it, that we don’t even know how it was calculated”, Elder Irondi told www.newsmirrorng.com
Earlier, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma had earlier hinted that the payment was made in agreement with the leadership of Abia state Union of pensioners.
“We took it to the extreme and, indeed, the had mentioned 2014 but from the information i have gathered, we even went beyond 2014 because there were some persons that were owed arrears before 2014 and we also cleared. It is not of equal basis”, Ekeoma told newsmen in Umuahia before the bubble that bursted.
When www.newsmirrorng.com called the National Chairman, Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Comrade Godwin Abumisi on the controversy surrounding Abia pensioners, he told our reporter that he is aware of the imbroglio in Abia between pensioners and government of the day but not in a position to add his voice as the Abia state chapter of the body is yet to brief the national body.
In a monitored radio programme in Umuahia, LoveFM 99.9, the Abia state commissioner for finance, Mike Akpara admitted that they have not “cleared arrears ” the pension arrears as stated by the Governor’s media aides but that they paid some and “wrote some off”. Whatever that means need further explanation by Abia state Government and the Leadership of the pensioners. The question now begging for answers are; between the Governor’s media aides and the Commission for finance, who exactly is playing the lie game on our aged parents?
Reacting to the interview by the Honourable Commissioner for finance, Mike Akpara, Elder Irondi told www.newsmirrorng.com that there was no agreement with Abia state Government and pensioners to write – off any money, saying, the Commissioner is deceiving Abians. He recalled a time when their Leadership was invited by Abia state government and they kept them hungry, frustrated all through the day till 1am midnight and brought a document for them to sign, which does not in any way say, they have forefieted their owed pension.
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