The Abia Pensioners Forum has called on the Abia State Government to constitute a judicial panel of inquiry to investigate the controversy surrounding the alleged payment of outstanding pension arrears in the state.
Coordinator of the forum, Barr. Okey Kanu, made the demand while addressing journalists in Umuahia, insisting that members of the group were prepared to appear before such a panel and present documentary evidence to substantiate their claims.
The call comes amid disagreement between the pensioners and the state government over whether inherited pension arrears have been settled.
While the forum maintains that some retirees are still owed accumulated pension arrears from previous administrations, the state government has challenged those making the allegation to provide evidence.
Kanu said a judicial inquiry would provide an appropriate platform for both sides to present their records and establish the facts.
“We hereby call on government to set up even a judicial panel of inquiry to show the seriousness attached to this,” Kanu said.
According to him, anyone appearing before such a panel should be required to give evidence under oath and be held accountable for any deliberately false claims.
“We are calling for a judicial panel, not even an ordinary panel. Let anybody who makes a false claim face the consequences of the law,” he said.
Kanu declared that he was personally prepared to be the first person to testify before the proposed panel and submit documents supporting the forum’s position.
“I will be the first person to appear before that judicial committee of inquiry to show what we are talking about,” he said.
“We are not politicians. We are not exaggerating anything. Set up that committee. We have our papers.”
The forum had earlier accused the administration of Governor Alex Otti of failing to completely address inherited pension arrears and gratuities despite promises made before assuming office.
It acknowledged that the Otti administration has maintained regular payment of current monthly pensions but argued that the dispute centres on accumulated arrears allegedly inherited from previous administrations as well as outstanding gratuities.
The pensioners maintained that resolving the disagreement through an independent inquiry would help determine which retirees were paid, what periods the payments covered and whether any outstanding liabilities remain.
Reacting to the allegations, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Mr. Ferdinand Ekeoma, said the state government was not aware of the Abia Pensioners Forum making the claims, noting that the pensioners’ body known to the government is the Concerned Abia Pensioners, which he said represents close to 80 per cent of retirees in the state.
Ekeoma acknowledged that gratuities remain outstanding but said the government was already working towards resolving the issue.
He, however, disputed claims that pension arrears remain unpaid and challenged those making the allegations to provide evidence.
According to him, if members of the forum maintain that the government owes pension arrears, they should produce records establishing the alleged outstanding payments.
The government’s position therefore distinguishes between outstanding gratuities, which it acknowledges and says it is working to settle, and pension arrears, which it disputes.
The Abia Pensioners Forum, however, insists that it has documentary evidence to support its position and says the proposed judicial panel would provide an opportunity for the competing claims to be independently examined.
The controversy is now centred on whether inherited pension arrears remain outstanding and whether the state government will accept the pensioners’ call for a judicial inquiry to resolve the dispute.
