Following unstable and haphazard payment of pensions and gratuities in Abia State by Governor Alex Otti, pensioners in the State have decried the inability of Government to take care of its elder citizens who had worked an retired from the State Civil Service.
Speaking on the issue, the Forum of Permanent Secretaries, who were compulsorily retired from the Civil Service by the Abia State Government on October 31, 2023, expressed deep agony for “the way their matter have been handled by the administration of Dr Alex C. Otti OFR.”
But, the Body, while commending Governor Alex Otti for ths giant strides of his administration in the infrastructure sphere of the State’s economy within the period under review, cried that same commitment be meted to them too.
According to the group after its June 2026 meeting, pointed out that in spite of these successes recorded by the administration, “the government should try and use this remaining few weeks before election campaigns to end this hardship facing them and many other compulsorily retired officers, whose life depend only on their pensions and gratuities.
They stated that the continued silence of the Government on the payment of accumulated gratuities to retirees after series of promises is becoming most worrisome.
A statement signed by Agomoh Nkwachukwu, one of retired Permanent Secretaries, indicated that “the Forum of retired Permanent Secretaries, clearly states that based on Governor Alex Otti’s address on Worker’s Day on May 1, 2026 the payment of gratuities would have commenced.
The Forum therefore called on the governor to give approval to the Accountant General of the State to release and commence immediate payment of gratuities to retired civil servants in the State.
“We want to remind Governor Alex Otti of his promise to us before our abrupt retirement of paying all our retirement entitlements, and urge his administration to kick off payment of gratuities with us.
“This request is further necessitated by the biting economic situation that makes feeding and other bills like school fees, energy bills (electricity and cooking gas) much more than hospital bills and other medications for members of the family that are inevitable for survival”, the statement noted.
