8th October 2025, NewsOrient, Opinion, Column, Governance And Development, Business And Economy, News
By John Chukwu Anyim.

The issues raised recently by the Deputy Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly are not only germane, they are deeply troubling. They strike at the moral and fiscal conscience of a government that has repeatedly boasted of transparency, accountability, and a supposed cleansing of the state’s financial books.

Yet, beneath the loud proclamations lies a haunting question: Where did the ₦70 billion go?

The Abia State Government has in recent months trumpeted its “success” in reducing the state’s debt portfolio by a staggering ₦70 billion. On the surface, that sounds like progress. But when examined closely, this claim begins to unravel under the weight of contradictions, silence, and unanswered questions, questions that go to the very soul of governance.

First and foremost, have the inherited pension arrears and gratuities truly been paid?

Abians deserve an honest answer. For years, successive administrations have left behind a mountain of unpaid pensions and gratuities, leaving senior citizens, men and women who dedicated their youth to public service, in tears, hunger, and despair.

Walk through any community in Abia today and you will find retired teachers, local government staff, and directors who have not received their benefits, some for nearly a decade.

If the present government insists it has cleared this burden, it should publish a comprehensive list of pensioners paid, the exact amounts disbursed, and the dates of payment. Anything short of full disclosure amounts to deception by omission.

Secondly, in over two and a half years of this administration, have any of the newly retired civil servants been paid their gratuities? Even the retired Directors and Permanent Secretaries? Reports from within the civil service suggest otherwise. Many of these high-ranking officers have been left stranded, unable to access their terminal benefits despite serving the state with loyalty and distinction. What possible justification can there be for such neglect?

Government is meant to reward diligence, not punish service. When retirees are left unpaid, when the elderly are denied their due, it speaks volumes about the moral compass guiding the leadership.

Thirdly, the ₦70 billion claim itself has raised a new layer of controversy. Could it be that what was “written off” from Abia’s debt portfolio was not a real payment but a mere book adjustment, wiping away figures on paper while leaving real human beings unpaid? If indeed the so-called debt clearance represents pension arrears and gratuities that were simply written off without actual payment, then that would amount to a monumental fraud against the people of Abia.

The government cannot, in good conscience, count unpaid pension liabilities as “cleared debts.” That is an insult to both logic and justice. It is like erasing a debt by deleting the record while the creditor still cries in pain. This would not only distort Abia’s true financial position but also constitute a moral crime against its senior citizens.

And finally, if the government truly paid ₦70 billion to settle debts, then the people have a right to know who were the beneficiaries. Which creditors received payment? Were these debts domestic or external? Were they contractors, institutions, or pensioners? Transparency demands that the government publishes a full breakdown, a line-by-line report detailing what was paid, to whom, and for what.

Without such disclosure, the claim remains nothing more than political theatre, a carefully staged performance designed to impress rather than inform.

Let us be clear: ₦70 billion is not small money. It represents the sweat of Abians, their taxes, federal allocations, and natural resources. Every kobo of it belongs to the people. Therefore, the government owes it to them to speak with clarity, not propaganda. To announce a debt reduction without corresponding documentation is to insult public intelligence and fuel suspicion of cover-up.

Meanwhile, pensioners continue to die in silence. Many have become shadows of themselves, depending on their children or charity for survival. The irony is heartbreaking, the same people who built Abia’s institutions now live in penury while politicians debate figures in air-conditioned offices.

Abia’s reputation as a responsible state will only be restored when its leaders prioritize truth over optics, compassion over calculation, and justice over propaganda. Governance is not about selective storytelling; it is about verifiable facts. A government that claims to have paid ₦70 billion must be ready to show the receipts.

Until these fundamental questions are answered, Abians have every right to be skeptical. The Deputy Speaker has raised the alarm; now it is up to the Executive arm to respond, not with press statements, but with proof.

Accountability is not a privilege, it is a duty. The government must remember that the truth, no matter how long it takes, always comes to light.

~ Published By NewsOrient Network

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