Anambra TV station retirees lament nine years of unpaid gratuities

Retired employees of the Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS) in Nigeria are protesting the non-payment of their retirement benefits for more than nine years. The retirees, organized under the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), ABS Chapter, have described the situation as "inhuman and unacceptable."

According to Bony Ezeani, the NUP ABS Chapter Chairman, retirees have not received their gratuities since 2017, a period when Willie Obiano was the governor of Anambra State. Ezeani, an engineer, stated that this practice deviates from the usual procedure where staff received gratuities upon retirement. He noted that approximately 10 ABS staff members retire annually.

“

Before now, staff members usually received their gratuities upon retirement. But in recent times, we don’t receive anything again.

The union highlighted that checks revealed ABS retirees are uniquely affected, as other retirees within the Anambra State Civil Service reportedly receive their entitlements. "We don't know if the state government wants retiring staff of ABS to die after retirement or whether it is a crime to work and retire in ABS," Ezeani questioned.

“

We don’t know if the state government wants retiring staff of ABS to die after retirement or whether it is a crime to work and retire in ABS.

Furthermore, the retirees claim they have been excluded from a N10,000 monthly stipend promised by the incumbent Governor, Charles Soludo, in October 2024. This stipend was intended to supplement the meager pensions, some as low as N333, received by retirees. Ezeani stated that while other Anambra State pensioners continue to receive the additional payment, ABS pensioners have not.

ABS is a radio and television station owned and managed by the Anambra State Government. The retirees are calling for urgent action to address the non-payment of their long-overdue benefits.

“

That N10,000 was supposed to be received by all pensioners in Anambra State. But to our greatest surprise, ABS pensioners have never received the N10,000 benefits while other retirees continue to receive it.