Follow Us on Google
The Joint Action Committee (JAC), comprising retirees from Abia Newspapers, the Broadcasting Corporation of Abia (BCA), Council for Arts and Culture, and the Abia State Housing and Property Development Corporation, have petitioned Governor Alex Otti over omission of 55 pensioners in the payment of pensions since January, this year, though they were duly verified.
The petition, dated Tuesday, July 8, 2025, which was made available to Saturday Sun on Friday, was signed by chairman of the JAC, Chinkwe Ikenyi, and secretary, Chief Ikoro John Ikoro. It was directed to the governor, through the office of his Chief of Staff, as it reminded the governor of non-payment of 13 months pension arrears.
The breakdown of the retirees, whose names have been skipped from the payment list, revealed that the BCA has 19, the Abia Newspapers has five, the Council for Arts and Culture has six, the Housing and Property Development Corporation has nine, and the Umuahia Capital Development Authority (UCDA) has 16, making a total of 55.
The petition was entitled: ‘A Reminder On Our Earlier Passionate Appeal To Your Excellency To Pay More Than 13 Months Of Pension Arrears Owed By Your Administration To Us (Pensioners Of Parastatals) In The State’.
The pensioners lamented that the non-payment of more than 13 months pension arrears owed retirees of parastatals had exposed them to many challenges, including loss of their accommodation. They added that they have also been unable to pay school fees of their wards.
Other News
According to them, those that have serious health challenges could not effectively maintain themselves in view of the prohibitive cost of medication, and the terrible economy of the nation. They said they had been borrowing money to survive.
“While we appreciate Your Excellency’s effort in paying us promptly since January 2025, we wish to draw Your Excellency’s attention to the fact that 55 pensioners have been skipped in the on-going payments since January, 2025.”
“We are optimistic that Your Excellency would cause the Accountant General (AG) to ensure that these people who have been left out in the payment of pensions would be accommodated during the clearing of our pensions arrears.”
“While we commend your efforts in substantially paying pensioners of ministries their arrears, we look forward to your also clearing our pension arrears in order to be on a par with them, thereby giving us a sense of belonging in the new Abia. We also look forward to your paying us our gratuities now that you have promised to look into paying of gratuities of pensioners in the state.”
