A recent audited report from the Accountant-General of Enugu State has revealed that the state government, under Governor Peter Mbah, owes a staggering N26,847,958,721.56 in gratuities and verified pension arrears as of December 31, 2020. This amount has likely increased since then.
Ironically, Governor Mbah recently announced a significant increase in the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), from N37.4 billion at the end of 2023 to N144.7 billion in September 2024, representing a 286.2% increase.
Meanwhile, the Enugu State government has allocated N41,132,463,000.00 to acquire aircraft for the proposed “Enugu Air,” a move that has been criticized by pensioners who are struggling to survive due to unpaid pensions and gratuities.
Elder Ikechukwu Ekere, Chairman of the Enugu State Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), lamented that pensioners in the state are dying of hunger and diseases due to non-payment of their pensions and gratuities. He noted that no gratuity has been paid to pensioners in the core civil service since September 2010, while primary school and local government pensioners have not received their gratuity since 2006.
Ekere expressed disappointment that the government is prioritizing the acquisition of aircraft over the payment of pension arrears, stating that the union has written to the governor and is following up on the matter.
