…Demand Payment of 11-Year Primary Schoolteachers Pension Arrears
By Jude Atupulazi
The Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP, Anambra State Chapter, are calling on the State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, to offset the eleven-month pension arrears of retired primary school teachers owed from 2002 to 2003 to mitigate the sufferings of the pensioners.
The NUP State Chairman, Comrade Dr Anthony Ugozor, who spoke exclusively to Fides, lamenting that their members have been dying as a result of penury occasioned by the non-payment of the arrears, also clarified that the governor’s payment of N10, 000 by fiat to pensioners did not amount to harmonisation as believed by the government.
He therefore urged the Governor to pay the outstanding N490m, which, he said, had since been approved by the outgoing Peter Obi Administration in 2014 but which had remained stuck in the office of the Joint Accounts Allocation Committee (JAAC) all these years, despite another approval by the current government.
NUP recalled that in Anambra State, five years arrears of gratuities (2016-2020) inherited from his predecessor, Chief Dr. Willie Obiano, amounting to N22 billion, had been successfully cleared by Soludo, who, they said, also paid N10, 000 pension award to all pensioners on 25 October 2024, when Soludo realized that most pensioners in the State received less than ₦1,000 as their monthly pension.
‘Besides, the NUP made Mr. Governor understand that the least paid Pensioner receives ₦333.45 only as their monthly pension. Sequel to the above, the Solution Governor: Prof. Charles Soludo, immediately gave an award by fiat of N10, 000 to all pensioners with effect from October, 2024, in the interim, pending the pension harmonization and implementation of minimum pension of ₦32, 000,’ NUP stated.
This was even as NUP noted that the N10, 000 award to pensioners in 2024 was not extended to workers in the Anambra Broadcasting Service, ABS.
‘All the efforts, both of ABS pensioners Union and NUP State Council, to make the government pay such debt to ABS pensioners were in vain. It now stands to reason that ABS pensioners are owed arrears of the N10, 000 award for 22 months. There are still lamentations among the ABS pensioners because they are yet to receive their gratuities owed them since year 2017, amounting to a total of N150m.
‘Every Government inherits both assets and liabilities. It therefore stands to reason that if the above mentioned outstanding entitlements and obligations are completely settled, then all the pensioners and their loved ones will join the rest of humanity to shout ”Praise the Lord”, as well as addressing the Governor as ”Solution Governor”,’ NUP submitted.
It however maintained that the said pension award should not be seen as approval of pension adjustment in line with salary reviews for improved welfare as canvassed by the Government of Anambra State, contending that salary reviews were a constitutional establishment matter which happened every five years, whereas the State Government continued to ignore that.
‘The Federal Republic of Nigeria’s Constitution, 1999, as amended, states in Section 210(3) that “Pensions shall be reviewed every five years or together with any State Civil Service Salary reviews, whichever is earlier”, the State Government doesn’t look at this Section of the Constitution. Hence, there was no review of pension for more than twenty years as the last state pension review was on 1st May 2000.
‘About three weeks ago, the Government of Anambra State made claims that it had paid Anambra State pensioners all outstanding obligations with the heading: “Governor Soludo strengthens pension welfare in Anambra”.
‘Anambra State Government claimed phased clearance of inherited pension arrears. It is not true because it is owing eleven months pension arrears owed some primary school pensioners. Rather, what pensioners of the state heard is mere nominal approval of pension adjustment of the State Government,’ NUP explained, insisting that approval was not payment, while adjustment of pension was not harmonization of pension.
Digging into the history of their demand, NUP recalled that the Federal Government had taken steps as a rule to remit Federal Shares of pensions of teachers that retired from service as and when due to various states of the Federation, including Anambra State.
‘The arrears were 16 months as inherited by Gov Peter Obi’s Administration. Gov Obi, after carefully studying the matter, was satisfied that he inherited the debt and consequently approved the sixteen months for installmental payment. Obi’s administration graciously paid 5 of the 16 months in tranches before leaving office and gave directive for payment of the remaining eleven months on 13th March, 2014, few days before he left office.
‘It is this outstanding eleven months that is due for payment to some affected primary school pensioners that we are demanding,’ NUP explained, citing correspondences from the Head of Service referenced HOS/ED/RR/5/SUB.1/T.2/108, dated 14 March 2014, conveying Gov Obi’s approval to commence the liquidation of the eleven months’ arrears of the Federal Share of Pensions due to retired primary school pensioners to the Secretary, Local Government Pensions Board, Awka, as the money sent by the Federal Government to Anambra State for that purpose is domiciled in their Office.
It also referenced the 2023 May Day address by the State Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress, Anambra Council Comrade, (Sir) Humphrey Emeka Nwafor, at Dr. Alex Ekwueme Square, Awka, presented to Gov Soludo in which the NLC appealed for declaration by fiat of N30, 000 as minimum pension in the state, lamenting that some pensioners were earning as low as N333.45 as monthly pension.
The NUP said it behooved Soludo to offset the arrears, having inherited both assets and liabilities as was the norm.
‘The Governor is invited to use his good offices to direct the Anambra State Local Government Pensions Board, Awka to begin payments with the ledger containing verified and certified names of the beneficiaries at his earliest convenience,’ NUP appealed, noting that two of its members had recently died without getting their due emoluments.
