Hardship: Odii donates N7m to EBSU Retirees, Urges Nwifuru to Pay Pension, Gratuity

By Uchenna Okeh, Abakaliki

The Ebonyi State governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, has donated about N7 million to distressed retirees of Ebonyi State University (EBSU).

He called for the immediate intervention of the governor, Francis Nwifuru and the university authorities to urgently address, pay their outstanding pension and gratuity claims.

Odii made the call on Wednesday during a visit to the retirees at the CAS Campus of the Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, where he expressed concern over reports of prolonged hardship among former university workers who said they had retired without receiving their full retirement entitlements.

The intervention came against the backdrop of recent public appeals by EBSU retirees for government action on their pensions and gratuities. 

The retirees had previously said that many of their colleagues had died while waiting for their retirement benefits.

Represented at the meeting by the PDP State Publicity Secretary, Darlington Peter Onwe, Odii said he directed the compilation and accreditation of affected retirees after learning of their plight.

According to Onwe, about 216 retirees had been accredited during the exercise, although the figure was unofficial and the retirees’ body believed the affected population was close to 400 or more.

He said: “The governorship candidate considers this highly disturbing and a matter that requires urgent attention.

Men and women who devoted their productive years to developing the knowledge economy of the state should not be abandoned in this manner.

“Some are already dead, some are in hospitals, while others have returned to their villages without support. It is really heartbreaking.”

Onwe said Odii had approved N100,000 for each of the accredited retirees as immediate support, amounting to about N7 million.

He stressed that the gesture was intended as humanitarian assistance rather than a political campaign, urging the state government and university management to intervene in the retirees’ situation.

“We therefore want to call on the state government under the leadership of Governor Francis Nwifuru and the Vice-Chancellor of the university to quickly look into this. 

People are dying and households are crippled. This issue requires urgent intervention,” he said.

The retirees’ chairman, Emeka Ugwuoke, who responded on behalf of the group, appealed to the government to pay their outstanding pension and gratuity, saying many former workers had endured severe hardship since retirement.

Ugwuoke, who said he retired in 2022, explained that he had repeatedly sought payment of his retirement benefits without success.

He said: “We demand that our pension rights and gratuity be paid to us. I retired in 2022 and since then I have been pressing for my entitlement, gratuity and pension, but nobody cared to listen to me.”

He described the situation as unusual, saying the retirees had made inquiries about retirement benefits in other universities and were seeking similar treatment for former EBSU workers.

Ugwuoke also commended Odii for the financial assistance, saying the intervention had provided temporary relief to some of the affected retirees.

He appealed to governments at all levels to intervene, stressing that many retirees were elderly and could no longer cope with prolonged financial hardship.

The retirees’ demands come amid broader pension and gratuity interventions by the Ebonyi State Government. 

In 2025, the state government announced arrangements for payment of pension and gratuity arrears to local government retirees, while the Federal Ministry of Information reported in January 2026 that the state government had said it had cleared pension and gratuity arrears for retirees.

However, the EBSU retirees maintain that their specific claims remain unresolved and are asking the government and university authorities to urgently address their situation.