Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, OFR, has said his administration will prioritise the payment of outstanding gratuities owed retirees before considering a review of pensions in the state.
Governor Otti stated this while responding to a question from ABN TV during the August edition of the monthly media engagement, “Governor Alex Otti Speaks to Abians.”
ABN TV’s Ifeanyi Okali had commended the Governor for commencing the payment of gratuities to pensioners in the 2001–2010 batch, but drew attention to concerns over the review of pensions and other benefits for senior citizens.
Okali noted that pensions had reportedly not been reviewed since 2010 despite the salary review carried out in 2024, while retirees were also reportedly not included in the subsidy-removal allowance extended to workers.
“Will your administration consider reviewing pensions and extending these benefits to our senior citizens?” Okali asked.
Responding, Governor Otti acknowledged that the demand for a pension review was legitimate, but explained that his administration was adopting a phased approach to addressing the challenges inherited in the pension system.
“Ifeanyi Okali of ABN TV, thank you so much for the commendation on the payment of gratuity. Your question about review of pensions is not out of place. But again, you need to count one before you count two,” the Governor said.
Otti explained that the immediate priority of his administration was to settle outstanding entitlements owed retirees, particularly those who had previously gone without their gratuities.
“These are people who were not receiving anything before now. So we need to pay them the gratuities that are being owed, first of all, before we begin to talk of review of pension,” he stated.
The Governor’s response indicates that while a review of pensions remains a valid concern, the administration intends to first address accumulated gratuity obligations before moving to the next stage of improving retirees’ benefits.
The exchange formed part of the August edition of Governor Alex Otti Speaks to Abians, an interactive media session where journalists engage the Governor on government policies, programmes and issues affecting residents of the state.
