Abia retirees fast, pray for payment of pension arrears, gratuity

Retirees of the Abia State Government have embarked on fasting and prayer for God’s intervention in their struggle with the government to pay their entitlement benefits.

The retirees who are members of Abia Pensioners’ Forum, on Wednesday held the closing of their three-day programme in Umuahia with fervent intercession for the payment of their arrears of pension and gratuity.

They also prayed for the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, and the country in general amid soul-lifting Christian songs.

In his exhortation, the guest speaker, Success Obinya, a pastor with the City Liberation Centre, Aba, charged the pensioners not to cry any longer because they had taken their case to God.

Quoting Proverb 21: 1, Mr Obinya told them that God would direct the heart of whoever was holding their wealth and progress to do the needful.

“When the right hand of God is upon any man, He can turn around any situation.

“God will cause the government of the day to respond to your grievances and heart desires because you have done the right thing by seeking Him,” the cleric said.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the forum, a pressure group in the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), has been struggling for the restoration and payment of the arrears of pension and gratuity of the state retirees.

The present administration had waived or forfeited the said arrears of pension and gratuity sequel to the Memorandum of Agreement it reportedly signed with the state NUP executive in March.

The NUP had denied forfeiting 45 months of arrears of pension and gratuity of members as owed by the previous administration, in the said agreement.

Speaking to reporters, the Coordinator of the forum, Okey Kanu, said that the group decided to seek divine intervention after it exhausted other avenues in the pursuit.

He said that the group had written a passionate letter of appeal to Governor Otti, prominent individuals including the governor’s wife, as well as called a press conference, asking the governor to revisit and rescind the agreement.

According to him, it was the press conference that we called on 11 September that even made the world to hear us.

“We decided to do this fasting and prayer with a theme, ‘The king’s heart is in God’s hand’ because we don’t have any power of our own.

“We commend the governor for regularising our monthly pension, but to say that these retirement benefits are waived or forfeited after 35 years of labour is ungodly,” Mr Kanu said.

(NAN)