Kalu Accuses Gov. Otti of Forcing Retirees to Forfeit N70B in Gratuities

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, has publicly accused Governor Alex Otti's administration of pressuring retirees into waiving over N70 billion in outstanding gratuities, labeling the move a "grave injustice and betrayal of trust." The allegations, made during a recent address to members of the Renewed Hope Partners (RHP) in Umuahia, have ignited fresh controversy, with the state government dismissing them as politically motivated fabrications tied to Kalu's rumored 2027 gubernatorial ambitions. Kalu, representing Bende Federal Constituency on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), highlighted the issue as part of broader criticisms of Otti's Labour Party-led administration. "Abia is the only state that has not paid a single kobo in gratuity despite receiving close to N1 trillion since June 2023," Kalu stated, pointing to federal allocations averaging N38 billion monthly, far exceeding the N4 billion received by previous administrations under Governors Theodore Orji and Okezie Ikpeazu. He argued that despite these inflows, critical sectors like education, healthcare, and infrastructure remain underdeveloped, with retirees bearing the brunt of fiscal mismanagement.The gratuity dispute traces back to earlier tensions in 2024, when the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP) Abia chapter accused Otti's aides of forging documents to coerce union executives into signing a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) forfeiting gratuities and 45 months of pension arrears entitlements accrued largely from prior regimes. Pensioners, led by NUP Chairman Chukwuemeka Irondi, claimed they were tricked into providing union letterheads, which were then used to draft the controversial waiver without broader consultation. "Nobody has the authority to impose the waiving of gratuities on Abia pensioners for any reason," Irondi declared at a Umuahia press conference, noting that while Otti cleared some arrears from June 2023 to March 2024, the full scope of inherited liabilities estimated at over N70 billion remains unresolved.Kalu's intervention revives these grievances, framing them as evidence of Otti's failure to deliver on promises of transparency and welfare. He vowed that the APC would reclaim Abia in 2027, urging residents to demand accountability for the state's resources. The Otti administration swiftly rebuffed the claims, with Special Adviser on Media Ferdinand Ekeoma labeling Kalu's statements "spurious and ill-informed." Ekeoma countered that Abia's Year-to-Date FAAC allocations for 2025 stand at N125 billion, not the inflated N304 billion implied by Kalu's figures and highlighted achievements like raising the minimum wage to N70,000-N74,000 for 67,000 verified workers and recruiting over 5,000 teachers. He accused Kalu of inflating numbers without accounting for naira depreciation and accused him of "undeclared governorship ambition," advising him to "keep [his] ambition till the appropriate time." Governor Otti himself weighed in, stating that President Bola Tinubu "knows traitors and sycophants," in an apparent jab at Kalu, and emphasized ongoing efforts to stabilize the state's finances amid inherited debts. The government has maintained that pension reforms, including the disputed MoA, were necessary to prioritize monthly pensions over lump-sum gratuities, though pensioners continue to protest exclusion from decision-making.

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