Payment of Gratuity – Two decades of rot removed by a determined Gov. Alex Otti
By Chukwuma Elvis
It seemed impossible to do but when there is a will indeed a path is carved and a breakthrough comes. For nearly two and half decades, a critical reward system established within the civil service to compensate those who have worked diligently and gone into retirement, was allowed to clog up like a blocked water pipe not allowing the precious liquid of life to flow through.
The precious liquid of life in this context speaks to gratuity; that lump sum which is calculated and paid at the moment of retirement or shortly thereafter to beneficiaries as a parting package. Everyone who passes through the system, anticipates this statutory final payment as it were with great hope knowing its value to beneficiaries.
Gratuity can help the beneficiary build a house or complete an ongoing building project, it can contribute significantly to the education fund for children of a beneficiary, family members who need significant financial support can get this from the payment of gratuity of their generous loved ones and the list of its value goes on.
Counting from 2001 up until the beginning of the administration of Governor Alex Otti, the payment of gratuity to retiring civil servants was thrown into the abyss leading to upheaval in a well structured process that was seamless before the ‘night marauders’ masquerading as leaders came into office and vandalised a hitherto functioning system, overthrowing that which was in place for the benefit of all who pass through the civil service.
Quite sad indeed!
The coming of Gov. Alex Otti is as light shining through the darkness; the darkness of Abia pensions and gratuity. The light of Gov. Otti has come to pay up a backlog of gratuity totalling 61.8billion naira which accumulated over a period of 24 years. The total amount owed from between 2001 to 2010 is 7.2billion.
From 2011 to 2023, 43.6bilion is owed Pensioners in gratuity. Between 2023 to date,10.9billion is the amount owed in gratuity to retirees at both state and local government levels.
Since governance is a continuum, this accumulated and accumulating bill has passed down from one administration to the next and none had the courage to tackle what became a monster. But Gov. Otti who came prepared, took the fight to the monster and today Abia is singing the victory song.
The government of Gov. Alex Otti has commenced payment beginning with retirees from 2001 through 2010. In practical terms, 7.2billion naira have been distributed to concerned beneficiaries marking a departure from the dark days of hopelessness. Otti has restored the hope and dignity of the Abia retiree.
The state government has also set up mechanisms to ensure that the payment of gratuity is captured in the states annual budget to ensure continuity going forward. This will not allow the room for accumulation as has been witnessed in the past leading to the huge backlog of gratuity and pensions.
This success must be made sustainable to prevent a return to the dark days when many Pensioners died without receiving their gratuity.
Claims had been made by past administration in keeping with the payment of gratuity to retirees but after due diligence was conducted under Gov. Otti and citing available records from the state pensions board, it was confirmed that less than 0.001percent of the total number of those eligible were paid gratuity by previous administrations.
Reports have emerged and it is confirmed that in the past, retirees eligible for gratuity were asked by unscrupulous elements to forfeit a certain percentage of their gratuity or give a bribe to fast track the processing of their gratuity.
This is a most abhorrent development to think that officials of past administration in the state can stoop to such a level of immorality not minding the anguish our senior citizens whose rights and privileges have been trampled upon are going through.
However a new dawn is hear made possible by the amiable Gov. Alex Otti putting smiles on the faces of Abias senior citizens. Bank alerts have begun to hit the telephone numbers of benefiaries in a development that is unprecedented in pension administration in Abia.
The Nigeria Union of Pensioners -NUP- which is the nationally recognised umbrella body of Pensioners in Nigeria have acknowledged the step taken by the state government to tackle the issue of non-payment of gratuity once and for all.
Chairman of the state chapter of NUP Elder Chukwuemeka Nwazue Irondi a direct beneficiary of the largess made available by Gov. Otti is over the moon. While fielding questions in an interview, he described Otti as a man of his words and a worthy leader.
He acknowledged that though the accumulation occurred before Otti came to office, the governors’ move to pay the dept is a demonstration of noble character and kindness – a rare magnanimity towards Pensioners.
Members of his body -NUP- are also singing sonorous tunes inspired by credit alert tones coming from their telephones reporting the arrival of the much anticipated gratuity from the desk of ‘ChiomaAbia’.
At the Quadrennial Delegates conference of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners Abia state chapter which held recently in Umuahia, retirees were promised that gratuity will be paid by Gov. Otti because it was the right of Pensioners to get what is due them though past administrations caused members of NUP to almost completely lose faith in the sincerity of government to fulfill its promises.
Such promises had been made several times in the past raising the hopes of Pensioners only to be dashed repeatedly without remorse or apology.
This administration is setting a benchmark in pension management that will be positioned to establish and secure a fail proof system to prevent a recurrence of what led up to the problem in the first place.
It is glaring that Otti is in a hurry and determined to improve the lot of Abia within the life of his tenure in office as governor. No sector or section of the state is exempt from the midas touch of his examplary leadership and focus.
Indeed, the good times are here for Abia Pensioners – they can now really enjoy retirement and age gracefully without worrying or stressing out on how to survive in their twighlight years.
A new Abia is now – midwifed by the humane and people oriented Dr. Alex Chioma Otti – Executive governor of Abia state like none other.
History will judge you very kindly SIR.
Chukwuma Elvis is a
Public Affairs Commentator