The Ebonyi State Government has said a financial donation by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 2027 governorship candidate, Chief Ifeanyi Odii, to retired workers of Ebonyi State University (EBSU) should not be regarded as payment of their outstanding pensions and gratuities.
The state Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Chief Ikeuwa Omebeh, made the clarification while addressing journalists in Abakaliki, amid renewed public attention to the plight of EBSU retirees.
Odii recently announced financial assistance for some retired university workers who have raised concerns over alleged outstanding pension and gratuity payments. Reports have differed on the exact number of beneficiaries, with the state government stressing that individual retirement claims must be verified before any outstanding obligation can be established.
Omebeh said the government welcomed genuine efforts aimed at assisting elderly citizens but cautioned against presenting humanitarian support as settlement of statutory retirement benefits.
He explained that pension and gratuity claims require verification of service records, determination of individual entitlements and identification of the institution or authority legally responsible for payment.
According to the commissioner, financial assistance to an individual retiree is fundamentally different from the payment of pension or gratuity owed to that person.
He said the appropriate response to the concerns raised by EBSU retirees was to establish the facts surrounding each claim rather than allow the matter to become a political contest.
Omebeh further said the state government had previously approved and implemented pension and gratuity payments to state and local government retirees through a structured verification process.
However, he acknowledged that such interventions did not automatically establish that every claim by an EBSU retiree had been settled.
The commissioner said the government was prepared to examine properly documented and verified claims involving the affected university retirees.
He also disclosed that the state government was engaging EBSU management and relevant university unions, including the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), on issues surrounding pension administration and the proposed pension scheme for university workers.
Omebeh urged stakeholders to focus on establishing the actual number of affected retirees, the amounts allegedly owed and the institution legally responsible for settling the claims.
He maintained that the welfare of the retirees should be addressed through a structured process involving EBSU management, retirees’ representatives and relevant government agencies.
The development comes amid continuing calls by EBSU retirees for resolution of their alleged outstanding retirement benefits, while the state government insists that legitimate claims must be properly documented and verified before payment.
By Enitan Mudashiru | MUK TV News
