Nwifuru: Ebonyi Govt Not Liable for EBSU Retirees’ Pension, Gratuity

By Uchenna Okeh, Abakaliki

Ebonyi State Governor, Rt. Hon. Francis Nwifuru, has explained the position of his administration on the alleged non-payment of pensions and gratuities owed retirees of the Ebonyi State University (EBSU).

The governor said the state government did not directly employ the affected university workers and, therefore, could not automatically assume responsibility for their retirement benefits.

The Nations News reports that retirees of the institution have complained of non-payment of their pensions and gratuities dating back to the establishment of the university in 1999.

Nwifuru spoke on the issue on Thursday while fielding questions from journalists at the New Government House, Centenary City, Abakaliki, shortly after the Independence Day celebration.

According to him, the responsibility for employing workers of the university rests with the institution’s management, stressing that existing laws do not automatically make the state government liable for the retirement benefits of workers it did not employ.

“The problem now is who actually is responsible for the payment of the pensions and gratuities of these people, since the government of Ebonyi is not the one employing them. They are not the ones hiring,” the governor said.

He added: “The law is very clear. You cannot fire who you did not hire. That’s the problem that they are facing.”

The governor, however, disclosed that his administration had reached an understanding with the university management on how to accommodate the affected retirees and explore possible ways of addressing their concerns.

“We have gotten to a point that we agreed with the management of the university. We agreed that what we should do is accommodate these people that are already crying,” he said.

Nwifuru further explained that universities operate under different administrative and financial structures, arguing that the responsibility for workers’ pensions depends on the ownership and management structure of the institution.

“If they are being run by government, it is the responsibility of government; their staff are staff of that state government. But if they are not being run by government, then you cannot say that the government should also pay,” he stated.

He said the university management was already engaging relevant authorities to navigate the matter and find a workable solution for the affected retirees.

On infrastructure development, Nwifuru said work was progressing at the ICT University, despite the limited resources available to the state government.

The governor said his administration had deliberately reduced spending on elaborate project commissioning ceremonies and publicity, preferring to channel scarce resources into physical development.

“We are not spending much money in order to commission projects. We have small resources, so the money we would spend on television houses, media houses and social media for commissioning projects can be used to do one kilometre of road,” he said.

Nwifuru also disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would commission projects at the ICT University during his planned visit to Ebonyi State.

He listed the Senate building among the projects expected to be commissioned by the President, adding that another project would also be unveiled during the visit, although he did not disclose details.