TheCable

Alex Otti, governor of Abia, says the state government has completed the payment of pension arrears of about 12,500 retirees.

The governor spoke on Friday during the monthly media briefing in Umuahia, the state capital.

Otti said the pension arrears payment was completed on Thursday, adding that out of the N10 billion budgeted for the exercise, over N9 billion had been expended.

“As we are paying 100 percent of salaries we will also pay 100 percent of pensions,” Otti said.

“Never again shall we have a backlog of pensions and arrears to be paid.”

Otti said after assuming office on May 29, 2023, his administration had promised to pay off all the pension arrears owed by the state government by the end of that year.

He said the promise was not fulfilled because the state had to undertake a “very difficult verification exercise that ended just a few weeks ago”.

The governor reiterated the state government’s efforts to ensure that pensioners receive 100 percent of their entitlements on or before the 28th of every month.