The Concerned Abia Pensioners, a pressure group, has appealed to the state government to begin the payment of arrears of gratuity in instalments.

The chairman of the group John Kalu, made the appeal on Monday during a briefing in Umuahia.

M4lr Kalu urged the government to reconsider its stance on the payment of gratuity as agreed by the leadership of the Abia chapter of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP).

He said that although these arrears were not incurred by the present government, he urged the present administration to clear it the same way it paid salary arrears.

Mr Kalu also said that pensioners would not mind if the government cleared the arrears of gratuity in instalments.

He said that the NUP did not carry pensioners along in the said agreement reached with the government and expressed the hope that the matter would be looked into again.

Also, the secretary of the association, Stanley Ibekwe, thanked the government for regular payment of pension without any deductions.

He apologised to Gov Alex Otti for the misrepresentations against his person and his administration by the leadership of NUP.

Mr Ibekwe said: “We appeal to the governor to please take a second look at the issue of gratuity and ensure that though these arrears were not incurred by his government.

“We appeal to the governor to extend his compassionate intervention by clearing them like he has done on salary arrears, even if it is done instalmentally.

“This is because, gratuity is the whole essence of the public service and nobody would think of losing his gratuity after 35 years of service or 60 years of age in the service”.

The present administration had waived a percentage of Abia pensioners’  gratuity based on a Memorandum of Agreement it reportedly signed with the executive of NUP.

(NAN)