Daud Olatunji
Retired workers of Ebonyi State University have alleged that no fewer than 209 of their colleagues have died while waiting for pensions and gratuities allegedly owed them by the state government and the university management.
The retirees, who spoke in a video shared online by activist Chuks Eric, appealed to the Ebonyi State Government and the university authorities to urgently settle their outstanding retirement benefits.
Several of the retirees who appeared in the video described severe financial and health difficulties, saying the alleged non-payment had made it difficult for them to afford food, medication and other basic needs.
One of the retirees, Okpoye Okoro, said the group had documented 209 deaths among former staff members who, according to him, died while awaiting their retirement benefits.
“Many of us have died, up to 209 as of the time we recorded it. Some are still dying. Very many are still sick,” Okoro said.
He alleged that the government and university management had failed to pay the retirees despite their years of service.
“The issue is that the government and the management of the university have not paid us our retirement benefits,” he said.
Okoro said the retirees were not demanding special treatment, but the payment of entitlements they believed they had earned after serving the institution.
He questioned why workers who had spent their productive years in a public university should be left without their retirement benefits after leaving service.
Another retiree recounted how he worked at the university for more than three decades before retiring without receiving his pension or gratuity.
He said he joined the institution on February 17, 1992, and retired on September 1, 2025.
“I started this job on 17 February 1992. My retirement is 1 September 2025. From that time till now, I have not received any payment, my gratuity and retirement,” he said.
The retiree, who said he had become blind while still in service, explained that he depended heavily on his wife even while continuing to work.
“From my work, my sickness came to me, my blindness. Without my wife, I cannot go and teach,” he said.
He added that he had no financial cushion to fall back on after retirement.
Another retiree accused the authorities of repeatedly giving explanations and making promises over the outstanding benefits.
He said the former workers understood the terms being used in relation to their retirement benefits and rejected explanations surrounding the alleged consolidation of their entitlements.
“We are not illiterates. We know the meaning of consolidation. Telling us they were consolidated and paid to us through our salaries. They are lies. They should do something,” he said.
The retiree, who said he had spent 23 years in service, also spoke about his deteriorating health.
“I have two swollen legs. And I was an agile man. I could jump. I could walk fast. But now, there is no ability to walk again because of the two bad legs,” he said.
He appealed to the authorities to settle the retirees’ entitlements while they were still alive.
“You won’t pay us when we are dead. No. So pay us now that we are alive,” he said.
Another former university worker said he had spent 43 years serving the institution but retired without receiving either his pension or gratuity.
“Good 43 years in service of a university. I went home with nothing,” he said.
He said even a modest monthly pension would provide retirees with some financial security and hope.
“I keep telling people pension may be as small as N20,000. But the moment somebody has that hope that at the end of the month it will drop, it gives hope. It can sustain life,” he said.
The retiree appealed to the state government and university management to pay what he described as the workers’ legitimate entitlements.
“Please, the governor is a compassionate governor. We are appealing to the governor and the university authority to pay us our entitlement. Pension and gratuity. Pay us our rights because we are due for it,” he said.
A female retiree said the alleged non-payment had affected her entire family, particularly as her husband was seriously ill.
“My husband is very, very sick. No money to take care of him,” she said.
She appealed to the state government to intervene and alleviate the difficulties faced by the retirees.
“We are pleading to God Almighty to touch the heart of the Ebonyi State Governor to tender mercy upon us,” she said.
Another retiree said he could no longer afford basic necessities, including medication and his children’s school fees.
“Nobody to buy drugs. My condition is bad. Please, pay me. The government cannot pay my gratuity and pension,” he said.
He added, “And as of now I cannot feed myself. I cannot pay my school fees. And it is a challenge.”
The retirees’ allegations come amid renewed calls for governments and public institutions to ensure that retirement benefits are paid promptly to workers who have completed their years of service.
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