Some verified retirees, particularly those from government parastatals, are reportedly being impacted by purported errors in the state’s pension administration payroll, according to the Nigerian Union of Pensioners, or NUP, Abia State Council.
They further claimed that pension administrators are neglecting a large number of the surviving relatives of deceased pensioners.
State Chairman Chukwuemeka N. Irondi and State Secretary Uma E. Kalu signed a communiqué from an expanded meeting that took place at the NUP Permanent Secretariat in Ogurube Layout, Umuahia.
The Abia NUP applauded Governor Alex Otti’s pledge to examine the contentious Memorandum of Agreement, or MoA, that was signed between the State government and the NUP executives, while also praising him for his dedication to the interests of senior citizens and for regularly paying monthly pensions since June 2023.
However, the pensioners expressed regret that there has been no follow-up to the Governor’s March 2025 church service promise at FMC Chapel, adding that the State NUP’s attempts to set up a meeting between the State government and the NUP’s National Leadership have failed.
The purported failure to implement the federal government’s agreed minimum pension and related changes, which would have taken effect in July 2024, was another urgent concern brought up.
The Council claims that many state retirees continue to receive monthly incomes of less than N5,000, which is significantly less than the national minimum.
The governor was urged by the union to guarantee prompt adherence to federal orders.
The NUP leaders said, “Gov. Otti now has the ball in his court.”
At the recent National Delegates Conference in Kano, they congratulated Godwin Ikechukwu Abumisi on his reelection as NUP’s national president.
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