The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State has called on the state government to clear pension and gratuity arrears exceeding N70 billion and fully implement the N70,000 national minimum wage for civil servants. The party's demands follow concerns raised by pensioners over unpaid benefits and unmet wage obligations.
APC Highlights Pensioners' Plight
According to a statement signed by the APC's Abia State Publicity Secretary, Uche Aguoru, the total pension and gratuity liabilities in the state, including obligations at the local government level, exceed N70 billion. The party noted that some retirees are receiving as little as N4,000 monthly, far below the N32,000 pension threshold that the state government had 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.
Wage Shortfalls in State Agencies
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.
Call for Transparency and Balance
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.
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.
