Our gratuities, 45 months pensions not forfeited – Abia pensioners tell Gov Otti

The Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP), Abia State chapter has alleged that the documents said to have been signed by them forfeiting their gratuities and 45 months pensions were written by aides to Governor Alex Otti and not by them.

This is even as they acknowledged that the governor cleared pension arrears from June 2023 to March 2024, which they said was accumulated under the present administration.

Addressing journalists on Thursday in Umuahia, the NUP Abia chapter, led by its clChairman, Chukwuemeka Irondi and Uma Kalu, Secretary, said that Governor Alex Otti’s “claims to have cleared ten years of pensions arrears has no basis in the union’s (NUP) records”.

The pensioners called for a serious review of the “so-called” Memorandum of Agreement particularly as it concerns article 7 (a) and (b) of the MOA as allegedly written by agents of the state government.

They suggested it would be a dis-service and hypocrisy to use NUP executive and pensioners as scape goat and sacrificial lamb “to attract attract national and international grants for selfish reasons”.

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According to the NUP chairman, aides to the Abia State governor tricked the executives of the union into submitting the letter head of the union which was allegedly used by the aides in writing the purported Memorandum of Agreement.

On why it took them a long time to speak, the NUP executives said that since they were allegedly coerced to sign the agreement, their lawyer needed to study the controversial document before advising them on the next line of action.

They further alleged that Abia State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Ikechuckwu Uwanna, was directed by the governor to query and intimidate the pensioners to submit to the state government’s position.

“My people are still crying, what is due them has not been paid. We are not satisfied, nobody is happy.

“We never discussed gratuities at any point let alone talking about waiving of any enrollments of pensions including gratuities.

“Nobody has the authority of imposing the waiving of gratuities on Abia pensioners for any reason,” Irondi said.