Otti revisits pension deal, Abia Assembly probes school fees

Abia State Governor Alex Otti has pledged to re-evaluate the state’s agreement with the Nigeria Union of Pensioners regarding the settlement of pension arrears.

Speaking at the 80th birthday thanksgiving service of Senator Chris Adighije, Otti acknowledged concerns about the NUP agreement raised by Rev Ernest Onyeukwu, emphasising that pensioners were honest but their leadership remains problematic.

The governor recalled how his administration allocated N10bn to clear outstanding pensions but was met with resistance from union leaders.

The state government and the pensioners have been at loggerheads over the decision of the government to pay part of the pension arrears agreed with the NUP leadership.

Speaking at the birthday ceremony, Otti said he was happy that the cleric understood and narrated what transpired between the government and the leadership of the NUP.

“I want to thank you (the priest) for the positive comments that you made about the government. Thank you for calling our attention to the issue of pension that had become problematic and I want to thank you for being honest and that is what it is.

“You can’t agree on something and then come to say that you didn’t agree. You can’t sign and say you signed under duress, particularly for our senior citizens.

“I have maintained that our senior citizens and pensioners are very honest people, very very honest.

“The problem is with their leadership and the problem of the leadership has to do with their association,” Otti stated.

Otti, who said the preacher was correct in saying that no pension was paid in Abia State in 2018, recalled how he paid N10bn to defray the arrears owed by past administrations.

He said, “When you said nobody was paid a pension in 2018, you are very correct. Not one dime was paid but the leadership of the NUP was part of the reason nobody was paid.

“So, even when they were going into an agreement with me, they probably didn’t believe that payment would be made.

“And when I made the payment, they now went round to say that they didn’t sign. So, that angered me but because you (Rev Onyeukwu) have said it, I will have a second look at it.”

Meanwhile, the state Assembly’s Joint Committee on Education, Public Petition, and Judiciary have begun an inquiry into complaints by an alumnus, Chukwudi Onwudinanti, who alleged that the Fisher Education Development Trust has turned Government College Umuahia into an elitist institution, pricing out students from local communities.

He also complained that monumental buildings in the school had been pulled down and replaced with lawns even as the members of Government College Umuahia Old Boys Association had not been allowed by the FEDT to nominate members to the board.

He called on the state House of Assembly to intervene in the matter.

Former National President of GCUOBA, Prof Dagogo Fubara, 86, and a surviving member of the 1952 set of GCU, travelled from Port Harcourt to the Abia State to testify before the assembly.

Also, the National President of GCUOBA, Dr Chinedum Ahaiwe, alleged that the Certificate of Occupancy of the school had been kept out of the reach of his members by the FEDT officials.

The Chairman of Abia State House of Assembly Joint Committee on Education, Public Petition and Judiciary, Anderson Akaliro, said members of FEDT would be allowed to defend themselves on the allegations before the House would take its decision.

He directed that the FEDT members should appear before the committee by Thursday.