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The Abia Pensioners Forum, a collective of retired civil servants, has concluded a three-day period of fasting and prayer, seeking God’s intervention in their fight for unpaid entitlements.
The forum’s members, who have repeatedly raised concerns about the government’s failure to honor its pension commitments, turned to prayer in the hopes that divine power would urge the state to address their financial plight.
This week, pensioners gathered in Umuahia for a solemn period of prayer and fasting, during which they fervently interceded on behalf of their unpaid dues, including their gratuities and pension arrears. They expressed their hope that their collective prayers would lead to the resolution of their long-standing financial grievances with the state government.
After the religious ceremony, Mr. Okey Kanu, Coordinator of the Abia Pensioners Forum, spoke with the press, stressing that the forum serves as an active pressure group pushing for justice on behalf of pensioners.
He mentioned that the forum has been at the forefront of efforts to urge the state government to revoke the Memorandum of Agreement signed with the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), which he argues has not lived up to its promises concerning the timely payment of pension arrears and gratuities.
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Kanu, who holds a legal background, also pointed to the recent remarks made by the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) in Abia State, in which they denied ever approving the withholding of the pensioners’ gratuities.
He stressed that the NUP’s denial further validated the position taken by the Abia Pensioners Forum, reinforcing the forum’s argument that the pensioners’ claims were legitimate and had been wrongfully disregarded.
“This meeting is particularly necessary because our state NUP Exco has denied entering into any agreement with the Government to forfeit our arrears of pension, especially gratuity,” Kanu said.
Pastor Success Obinya, the priest from City Liberation Centre, took to the podium to encourage the retirees, reminding them that no matter how long the wait, their faith in God would be the key to seeing their prayers answered, especially in matters concerning their rightful entitlements.
