Abia Govt Begins Full Payment of Gratuity to Retirees Who Left Service Between 2001 and 2010

By Ezechukwu Adimoha

ABIA – The Abia State Government has commenced the full payment of gratuity to all verified pensioners of the state and local governments who retired between 2001 and 2010.

The Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, disclosed this while briefing journalists on the outcome of this week’s Executive Council meeting, presided over by Governor Alex Otti.
He said the gratuity would be paid in batches based on the recommendations of the committee constituted to oversee the payment.

According to the Commissioner, following a review of records from the State Pensions Board and the Local Government Pensions Board, the committee determined the total outstanding gratuity liability to be ₦61.8 billion, covering both state and local government retirees.

Prince Kanu said the committee also established, after a comprehensive review, that successive administrations in the state, particularly those of former Governors T.A. Orji and Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, paid less than 0.01 per cent of the gratuities owed to retirees who left service between 2011 and May 2023.

He further disclosed that the committee recommended that the total annual financial impact for 2026–2031 be captured in the state’s Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and subsequent annual budgets to ensure steady implementation and prevent further accumulation of gratuity arrears.

The Commissioner said the administration of Governor Alex Otti, being people-focused, would continue to cater to the interests of Abia retirees as well as workers still in service.

He added that the government had established the Abia State Citizens Contact Centre to ensure that issues arising from gratuity payments were addressed promptly.

Prince Kanu urged retirees with complaints or concerns regarding the payments to contact the centre on 0800-000-0232 or send their complaints via contactcenter@abiastate.gov.ng.

The Commissioner for Finance, Mr Uwaoma Ukandu; the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Mr Ferdinand Ekeoma; and the Accountant-General of the state, Mrs Njum Onyemenam, were also present at the briefing.