APC Claims Abia Govt Owes N70bn Pension Arrears, Yet to Implement N70,000 Minimum Wage
- APC in Abia State called on the state government to clear pension and gratuity arrears estimated at over N70 billion
- The party said some retirees were receiving as little as N4,000 monthly, far below the N32,000 pension threshold
- APC also flagged reports of workers in some state agencies earning between N23,000 and N40,000, below the national minimum wage
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The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State has demanded that the state government settle outstanding pension and gratuity debts owed to retirees and fully implement the N70,000 national minimum wage for civil servants.
The party's Abia State Publicity Secretary, Uche Aguoru, signed a statement presenting the demands after pensioners in the state raised concerns over unpaid gratuities and unmet pension obligations.
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Pensioners Left With N4,000 Monthly
According to the APC, total pension and gratuity liabilities in the state, including obligations at the local government level, exceed N70 billion.
Despite this, some retirees are reportedly receiving monthly payments as low as N4,000, which the party said falls well short of the N32,000 threshold the state government had itself referenced for pension payments.
The APC said workers who devoted years to public service should not be left struggling to access benefits they had already earned, and called on the government to make settling these obligations a priority.
On the issue of wages, the party alleged that workers in several state agencies were earning between N23,000 and N40,000 a month, while some ministries were paying below the federally approved N70,000 minimum wage.
The APC attributed part of the strain on households to rising costs of food, housing and transportation.
The party urged the Abia government to enter into a formal agreement with organised labour on wage implementation and ensure that pay for state workers reflects current economic conditions.
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The APC acknowledged that Abia had recorded notable growth in monthly revenue and argued that the state had sufficient resources to address both pension liabilities and wage shortfalls without sacrificing infrastructure development.
The party said:
"Public resources must be made to serve the public"
It further called for a balance between capital spending and the welfare of civil servants and pensioners.
The statement also urged greater transparency in the management of public funds, saying available resources should be channelled towards clearing outstanding gratuity and pension payments without further delay.
2 Pension Companies Merge, Announce New Name
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that two of Nigeria's established pension fund managers, Premium Pension and Trustfund Pensions, have announced plans to merge into a single institution to be known as Premium Trustfund Pensions Limited, in a move that would create the country's third-largest Pension Fund Administrator (PFA) by assets.
The merger notification was published through the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) and remains subject to regulatory approvals.
According to the FCCPC notification, the merger will be implemented through a Scheme of Merger under Section 711 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020.
Source: Legit.ng
