Retired directors of the Abia State Civil Service have appealed to the governor of the state, Dr Alex Otti to urgently begin the payment of their gratuities and pensions to save them from imminent death through diseases and starvation.
In a Save-Our-Soul open letter to the governor made available to newsmen in Umuahia on Sunday, the group said they were prematurely and compulsorily disengaged from the Abia Civil Service on October 1, 2023 following the state adoption and implementation of the Federal Government (FGN) Circular No. HAS/S. 0074/11/91 of 1st August, 2011 by the state government.
The letter titled “Re: Non-payment of Earned Severance Entitlements” and signed by 42 retired directors of the Abia State Civil Service, argued that Federal Civil Service Circular is meant for Directors on GL. 17 at the Federal Civil Service, adding that no other state in the Federation including Abuja is implementing it.
Their spokesman, Mr M C Iheke who passionately appealed to the Abia governor to direct the immediate payment of our, the three months salaries in lieu of notice, and also appealed to him to direct the commencement of the payment of their gratuities.
The group further requested the governor to direct the immediate payment of pensions to directors from the Broadcasting Corporation of Abia State (BCA) and other directors who have not started receiving their monthly Pensions since their compulsory retirement on October 2023.
“It is regrettable to note, sir, that over one year after being prematurely removed from service, you are yet to make good your promise to pay us our statutory retirement entitlements, such as severance allowances, pensions and gratuities. Some of us that are now receiving pensions still have arrears of January, February and March as outstanding, while others, particularly those from the parastatals, such as BCA, are yet to receive their Pensions, despite having long completed all retirement processes.
“You may recall, Your Excellency, that in your July 13, 2024 meeting with members of the Organized Labour, you discussed issues concerning the 8 Years Retirement Policy of your Administration as it affected the Directors and Permanent Secretaries of the state Public/ Civil Service resulting in an understanding to pay us our retirement entitlements, but nothing has happened so far.
“One would, have thought, Sir, that whatever that informed your decision to make Abia State the only state amongst the Thirty-six states of the Federation and Abuja to adopt the FGN Circular No. HAS/S. 0074/11/91of 1st August, 2011on the 8 Years Retirement Policy meant for Directors on GL. 17 at the Federal Civil Service, should also have made Your Excellency magnanimous enough to accord us the same right that was accorded our counterparts at the Federal level who left the service with their entitlements.
“Your Excellency, it may not surprise you to know that your administration’s partial implementation of an exclusively Federal Government’s policy by disengaging us prematurely from service without implementing the due consequential compensations, to say the least, is unfair, harsh and capable of inflicting serious socio-economic and security consequences on both our families and the state.
“The resultant harrowing effects on our members, of the delay in paying us our Severance benefits, one year after compulsory disengagement, are better imagined, as some of us are about to be sent to our early graves. Many of the directors, particularly those from BCA and other parastatals who are yet to commence receipt of their monthly pensions are dying of hunger, malnutrition and depression given the current economic realities of the country.
“The worst, Sir, is that some of us now have their lives regularly threatened and being evicted from their rented accommodations due to their inability to renew their rents, while others have miserably relocated to the villages without any hope of getting help. Even our children are not spared the agony of their parents’ experiences”.
While recalling how some of them supported and voted for the governor in the 2023 governorship poll, the directors urged the governor to reward their love for him with the payment of their gratuities and pensions without delay to save them from untimely death and eviction from their residence.
