Ebonyi State has committed about ₦18 billion to clear accumulated pension and gratuity arrears owed to retired workers, in a move described by the Ebonyi State Local Government Staff Pension Board as a major intervention in the welfare of senior citizens.
Executive Secretary of the board, Emeka Nwonu, said the payment has addressed substantial liabilities accumulated over several years, including obligations dating back to 1996, while covering outstanding pension and gratuity commitments up to 2023 and 2025.
Key Highlights:
Ebonyi State committed ₦18 billion to clear pension and gratuity arrears.
The payments cover some obligations dating back to 1996.
The move aims to provide financial relief for retirees.
The pension board said retirees’ benefits are earned entitlements, not favours.
The intervention is expected to reduce future pension delays.
Nwonu, in a statement issued on Sunday, said the intervention has brought relief to retirees who had endured prolonged delays and uncertainty over benefits earned after years of service to the state and local governments.
He said the development would enable retirees to look forward to receiving their entitlements more promptly upon retirement, rather than being subjected to years of waiting for pension and gratuity payments.
According to him, the financial commitment by the governor is significant because the funds could have been deployed to highly visible infrastructure projects, including roads, electricity and other physical development projects.
He, however, said Nwifuru deliberately chose to prioritise the welfare and dignity of retirees, arguing that pension and gratuity were statutory entitlements rather than discretionary government largesse.
“Pension and gratuity are not favours or acts of charity; they are legitimate entitlements earned through years of service,” Nwonu said.
The pension board executive secretary said the governor’s decision demonstrates that governance should not be measured solely by the visibility of physical infrastructure but also by the extent to which government responds to the legitimate needs of citizens.
He said the settlement of the arrears is particularly important to elderly citizens whose productive years had been devoted to public service and who deserved financial security after retirement.
“When government chooses to pay those who have served rather than spend everything on what is merely visible, it is a clear statement about its priorities,” he said.
Nwonu linked the pension intervention to the administration’s People’s Charter of Needs, saying the policy is anchored on addressing the needs of the people and improving their welfare.
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He said the payment of the accumulated obligations was therefore an expression of the administration’s stated commitment to placing citizens at the centre of governance.
The official further maintained that the intervention would help restore confidence among serving workers approaching retirement, as well as retirees who had previously faced uncertainty over the payment of their entitlements.
He said ensuring that retirees receive their benefits within a reasonable period would also strengthen the credibility of the state’s pension administration and provide greater financial predictability for workers after retirement.
Nwonu commended Nwifuru for committing substantial resources to the settlement of the liabilities, saying the decision reflects recognition of the contributions made by retirees to the development of Ebonyi State.
He said the intervention should also be viewed against the competing demands on government resources, stressing that committing such a substantial amount to pension and gratuity payments demonstrated the administration’s stated emphasis on human welfare.
The executive secretary reiterated that retirees should not have to regard access to their legally earned benefits as a favour from government, but as an entitlement arising from years of dedicated public service.
He expressed optimism that the sustained payment of pension and gratuity obligations would prevent the recurrence of the prolonged accumulation of arrears that had subjected retirees to financial hardship and uncertainty.
