Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has promised to clear outstanding pensions and gratuities owed to retired civil servants from 2023 to 2025 before the end of January 2026. He emphasized that his administration prioritizes the welfare of civil servants, ensuring consistent payment of salaries, pensions, and gratuities since taking office.
The governor made this assurance after an interdenominational church service marking the 2026 Armed Forces Celebration and Remembrance Day in Makurdi. This move is seen as a response to the growing pressure from pensioners who have been protesting over unpaid arrears and gratuities.
The pensioners have been expressing their grievances over unpaid pensions and gratuities for years. The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) in Benue State gave Governor Alia a 14-day ultimatum to clear the outstanding pension arrears and gratuities, threatening to stage a peaceful protest if their demands are not met. They’re owed 96 months of arrears for local government pensioners and 42 months for state pensioners.
The protests aren’t new, with pensioners having staged similar demonstrations in the past. In 2017, over 2,000 local government pensioners protested at the Benue State Government House, and in 2023, retirees from First Bank stormed the bank’s Makurdi branch to demand payment of their pension and gratuities.
Governor Alia acknowledged the challenges faced by pensioners and urged resident doctors to reconsider their strike, citing humanitarian consequences of disrupted medical services. Despite his assurance, pensioners remain skeptical, wondering if this is just another empty promise.
