Abia State Government says previous administrations paid only about 0.01% of outstanding gratuities owed to workers who retired from the state and local government services between 2011 and 2023. The claim is based on findings from a committee reviewing unpaid gratuity liabilities. The government says the information was presented to journalists in Umuahia after the weekly Executive Council meeting chaired by Governor Alex Otti.
According to Abia, total outstanding gratuity liability is N61.8 billion. It breaks down into N7.2 billion accumulated between 2001 and 2010, N43.6 billion incurred from 2011 to May 2023, and an additional N10.9 billion from May 2023 to August 2026. Abia says payments made by administrations of former governors Theodore Orji and Okezie Ikpeazu covered less than 0.01% of what retirees were owed for the 2011 to May 2023 period.
Both outlets focus on the same figure and time span and cite the same government officials and context for the announcement. One outlet frames the story directly around the “0.01%” allegation, while the other also includes an unrelated government denial about a university suspension mentioned during the same briefing.
