Imo Pensioners Angry Over Governor Uzodinma’s New Year Message Claim

By Peter Uzoma…

The new year message of Governor Uzodinma, ordinarily, would have gone down delightfully, as brief as it was, with Imolites but not the Pensioners.

Media investigation revealed that the anger of the Pensioners was fuelled the more after they heard the Governor say he had since released a whooping ₦16 Billion Naira to clear all outing pensions and gratuity owed Imo Pensioners.

A Pensioner, who spoke to news men on condition of anonymity, recalled that on August 27, 2025, the Governor made it public that he had given an approval for the payment of Pensioners’ backlog of gratuities by releasing ₦16 Billion Naira.

The enraged Pensioner then expressed surprise that if really the Governor went this far to count it as one of the milestones in his new Year broadcast to Imo people, whereas, according to him, “millions of Pensioners have not been paid, then something is wrong somewhere”.

The Pensioner who claimed that he personally listened to the Governor’s new year message repeat broadcast on OZISA FM, 2pm News on 3/2/26, advised the Governor to look inwards with a view to fishing out those painting his administration black.

Reports can confirm authoritatively that when two or three Pensioners are gathered, the topic is usually the new year message.

While many say they don’t doubt the Governor, others feel that, if it was true ₦16 Billion Naira was actually released for the settlement of their age long gratuities they should have received credit alerts in their phones before 31st December, 2025.

Another grouse the Pensioners have about the Governor’s speech is on the increased Workers salaries from #70,000 to #104,000. They wondered why the Governor was not magnanimous enough to top something on the Senior Citizens pension stipends since he had earlier claimed he does not want them to suffer?

In chat, a female Pensioner, who simply called herself Stella, observed that workers and Pensioners in neighbouring States such as Ebonyi and Rivers were paid equal amount of Christmas bonus, ranging from 100k to 150k adding that it was a different kettle of fish in Imo State.

She said her findings revealed that both NUP Chairman, Chief Ugochukwu and Accountant-General claimed the Governor’s ₦16 Billion Naira have not been funded, then asked, ” who do we believe”?

Imo Pensioners blamed their woes on their leaders at all levels who are content with smiling to the bank every month end to draw the check off dues deducted from the Pensioners’ meagre stipends without caring about the welfare of those they are supposed to represent.