Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has pledged to reconsider his stance on the contentious pension arrears issue affecting retired workers in the state.
Otti made this commitment on Saturday while responding to an appeal from Rev. Ernest Onyukwu, who preached at the 80th birthday celebration of Senator Chris Adighije at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Chapel, Umuahia. The cleric urged the governor to review his position with compassion for the elderly pensioners.
The governor, however, accused pensioner leaders of engaging in blackmail despite having signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the state government on resolving the backlog of pension arrears inherited from past administrations.
Previously, Otti had cleared the accumulated pension arrears, but the pensioners’ leadership later claimed they never agreed to forfeit their gratuities. They insisted that their signatures were obtained under duress. Otti, however, attributed their actions to political interference, stating that opposition figures had incited them to turn against his administration.
Despite the ongoing controversy, Abia pensioners now receive their monthly payments alongside active workers on the 28th of every month.
