By Okwudiri Okafor, Umuahia
Abia State Government has explained its own side to the lingering dispute with the leadership of Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) in the state, which accused it of deceit and indebtedness, washing its hands of liability in the claims.
Lauding the pensioners as nice, the government, however, thumbed down their union leadership.
The government said,in the wake of intense heat over non-payment of the N30billion pension arrears, which fiscal liability was a carry-over burden from the past People’s Democratic Party (PDP) government in the state, that the NUP leadership freely entered into an agreement with the current government of Dr Alex Otti, only to turn back later and cry wolf.
State Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, who explained the issues to journalists in Government House, Umuahia,the state capital, South-East Nigeria, said what the pensioners were being owed by the previous government was almost forgotten, before the inception of the Otti administration.
The Commissioner said: “What they were owed was almost forgotten until the inception of this government. In line with the promises he (Dr. Otti) made during the campaigns and in his compassionate disposition, he decided to give a listening ear to pensioners and at the end of the day, they got a good deal when the huge sum of N10 billion was set aside to take care of the arrears they were owed.”
According to him, the pensioners wanted Gov. Otti to waive whatever the arrears were and concentrate on paying them full monthly pension regularly.
“They had wanted the Governor to waive whatever they were owed and be paid 100 percent of their monthly pensions. His Excellency said no. He felt for them and decided to pay them the sum of N10 billion ex-gratia.
“So, the sum of N10 billion was made available for that purpose and they went ahead to collect that money but surprisingly, not too long after these payments, we now started hearing stories that the state government was owing the pensioners some outstanding arrears. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
“They went to the ridiculous extent of saying that they were deceived and you begin to wonder, who deceived them to sign the documents they signed?” Kanu stated.
According to the Commissioner, Gov. Otti has maintained the regular payment of the monthly pension as agreed with the NUP leadership, recalling that the government and pensioners have been having a warm relationship.
The Commissioner declared: “And, of course, 100 percent monthly pensions have been paid since April last year.
“So, we do believe that the leadership of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners in Abia State is not being honest at all. They are being used to blackmail the state government. But, their shenanigans with the opposition is dead on arrival.
“We know that most of the pensioners have served this state very well. They are good people but we believe they have a leadership that does not represent what they collectively stand for. We believe it would be nice for the public to know what the truth is.”
Also speaking, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, recalled the long and cordial relationship existing between Gov. Otti and the pensioners since when he (Otti) was the main opposition leader in the state.
“It’s always good to put the records straight. Everybody knows our relationship with pensioners in the state starting from when we were in the opposition. So, we can’t deny suddenly that we never made promises or that we never had any relationship with them.
“We knew they were being owed but nobody imagined it was of this magnitude,” Ekeoma said.
According to him, it was during discussions with NUP that it was discovered that the Otti government had underestimated the actual amount being owed.
“Government estimated around N15 billion, but it turned out to be over N30 billion. Don’t forget that the state government has other commitments, including the over N17 billion salary arrears it is paying which was inherited from the former PDP-led government.
“Committee was set up for discussion to have an agreement on how the arrears of pension would be paid. That was what led to the provision of N10 billion,” Ekeoma explained.
He dismissed insinuations that what the state government settled was half-payment of nine months’ arrears.
The governor’s spokesman accused the NUP leadership of not working for its members nor their welfare and expressed displeasure over their attitude.
He added: “The document they signed, they went home with it and it stayed with them for 48 hours. They even made some adjustments and returned and suddenly you (NUP) are claiming that you were deceived.
“When these arrears were paid, the concerned pensioners went to church for thanksgiving.
“We know what transpired in the past when some of these so-called leaders of pensioners were being compromised to keep quiet and they allowed it.”
He explained that the financial challenges at the moment were enormous but assured that Gov.Otti would continue to shoulder the state’s financial responsibilities.