Pensioners in the South-East have lauded Anambra State governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, for clearing four years of unpaid gratuities amounting to N22 billion, a backlog they said had trapped many retirees in hardship.

The South-East Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners, Anthony Ugozor, said the payments covered entitlements from 2017 to 2020, liabilities inherited from previous administrations in Anambra State. He spoke in Awka at a zonal meeting of the union, where delegates from across the region reviewed the condition of retired workers.

Ugozor said the Soludo administration had distinguished itself by releasing gratuities promptly and maintaining regular monthly pension payments, a record he urged other governors in the zone to emulate.

He argued that pensioners who retired on the same grade level should receive equal pensions, regardless of the year they left service. According to him, the current system leaves retirees on identical Grade Level 12 earning widely different amounts, despite facing the same economic pressures.

Ugozor cited cases where a worker who retired in 2020 receives about N15,000 monthly, while a colleague who left in 2025 on the same grade earns N25,000. He called on state governments to harmonise pension rates and to implement the proposed N32,000 minimum pension immediately after the Federal Government’s formal announcement.

He also reminded the Anambra State government of an outstanding N490.18 million earmarked for primary school retirees from 2002 and 2003, which he said remains with the Local Government Pension Board. Some of the intended beneficiaries, he noted, have died without receiving their entitlements.

Anambra State Head of Service, Ngozi Iwuno, assured the gathering that the current administration would sustain its focus on pensioners’ welfare. She appealed for calm and praised retirees for their years of service and their continuing role in community life.

Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress in Anambra, Humphrey Nwafor, urged pensioners to close ranks and speak with one voice. He disclosed that the NLC had opened discussions with authorities on the proposed N32,000 minimum pension and noted that the Soludo administration has been paying a non-taxable monthly stipend of N10,000 to pensioners.

National President of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners, Godwin Abumisi, encouraged retirees not to lose hope, saying the federal pension harmonisation policy approved by President Bola Tinubu was already yielding positive results for many former workers.