Members of Concerned Abia Pensioners held a thanksgiving service to appreciate God for answering their prayers and making Governor Alex Otti to pay them arrears of their pensions owed by past administrations in Abia State.
Speaking in an interview during the thanksgiving service at The Apostolic Church Nigeria, No. 55 Awolowo Street, Umuahia, the chairman, Concerned Abia Pensioners, Elder John Kalu, said during these years of non-payment of pensions, the group had gone to many churches as well as written letters to churches, asking for prayers on their behalf.
He said they deem it fit to come to one of the churches that prayed for them during their ordeal to return thanks to God.
Eighty-five-year old Elder Kalu thanked the governor of Abia State, Dr. Otti, for fulfilling his campaign promise of defraying the arrears of their pensions owed them by previous administrations in Abia State
He said, “We had a very big problem. Our problem was that they did not pay us our pensions, our members were dying in thousands, because of illness and no money to go to hospital, no money to eat. We started to pray, we were fasting and praying. We went to churches for them to help us in prayers; The Apostolic Church was one of the churches we went to.
“So, this time, the governor has given us what we wanted. He has paid us the arrears of pensions, which the other governments didn’t pay us, which we were crying for; he has paid it to us. We are grateful. That is why we said we should go back to The Apostolic Church to tell them that God has done what we requested for.
“Right from the time Otti was campaigning; he came to the Abia State Pensioners. He told us that if we vote him, he will pay our arrears and he will be paying us monthly. So, he did it, that’s why we are saying that we are grateful to him.”
Also, speaking, Assistant Secretaries of Concerned Abia Pensioners, Mr. Okechukwu Ehisianya and Mrs. Mercy Ogbonna, said they suffered and passed through hell, while many of their members died and some in bad health conditions before Governor Otti came to office and paid them. They said they are grateful to Governor Otti for putting smiles on their faces.
They averred that payment of the pension arrears by the governor has brought back life to the pensioners, saying that their lives have been resuscitated. They prayed to God to bless the governor and wished him the best as he continued to lead Abia to the promised land.
Receiving the pensioners in the church, the pastor-in-charge and Area Superintendent of The Apostolic Church Nigeria, Umuahia Area, Apostle Bernard Ugbor, commended the pensioners for remembering to come to give thanks to God.
He appreciated the governor for having the senior citizens in his heart and described him as a good leader.
He said, “I thank God for the kind gesture of our dynamic governor for remembering these retirees. Thank God for the pension arrears that he has cleared and we pray that he would do more. To have this set of people in mind is an indication that the governor is a God-fearing leader. God will bless him and will continue to bless him. I know his government is going to be the best by God’s grace.
“These pensioners did what happened in the scriptures, out of 10 lepers, one returned to give thanks to God for what He has done. That’s exactly what they have done, then Jesus said, because he came back to thank him, the other 9 didn’t come, he was not only healed but was made whole.
“I wish that God will make these pensioners to still live long and be able to get things they are supposed to get in this life before God would call them home.”
Recall that Abia State governor, Otti, recently fulfilled his campaign promise of defraying all arrears of pensions owed the senior citizens in the state.
He has equally assured that going forward, the retirees would be receiving their pensions the same day civil servants receive their monthly salaries.
