In three years, N81 billion paid, the decades-old burden is shrinking as Akwa Ibom’s fiscal books reveal a dramatic reversal in retirees’ fortunes.
Governor Umo Eno’s administration in Akwa Ibom State has paid N81.06 billion in pensions and gratuities to civil servants in its first three years, exceeding the amount paid during the last four years of former Governor Udom Emmanuel’s administration, a PREMIUM TIMES review of Akwa Ibom State’s audited financial statements has shown.
The review of the state’s audited accounts for 2023, 2024 and 2025 indicates that Mr Eno’s government disbursed N22.28 billion in 2023, N27.79 billion in 2024 and N30.98 billion in 2025, bringing total payments to N81.06 billion.
By comparison, audited financial statements for Mr Emmanuel’s last four years in office show that his administration paid a combined N70.07 billion between 2019 and 2022 comprising N16.99 billion in 2019, N15.67 billion in 2020, N16.54 billion in 2021 and N20.87 billion in 2022.
The N81.06 billion paid by the current administration is therefore N10.99 billion higher than the amount paid during the final four years of the previous government.
The findings come against the backdrop of years of agitation by retirees over unpaid pensions and gratuities in Akwa Ibom.
The 2025 audited financial statements also indicate that the state’s outstanding pension and gratuity obligations stood at N38.02 billion as of 31 December 2025.
The liabilities comprise N14.35 billion in gratuities for civil servants, N3.66 billion in unpaid pensions for civil servants and N20 billion representing estimates of future pension obligations not yet due.
The outstanding liabilities are significantly lower than the N111 billion backlog of gratuities, pensions and other retirees’ emoluments which Mr Eno said he inherited when he assumed office in May 2023.
“I remain on track to liquidate the backlog hopefully before the end of the first term,” the governor has repeatedly said.
The pension payments were made during a period of unprecedented revenue inflows to the state.
PREMIUM TIMES recently reported that Akwa Ibom generated N2.53 trillion in revenue within the first 32 months of the Eno administration, an amount that exceeded the total revenue received during Mr Emmanuel’s eight years in office.
The higher revenue base provides important context for comparing expenditure patterns between the two administrations.
Pension and gratuity payments were among the most contentious issues during Mr Emmanuel’s administration.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that in July 2016, hundreds of pensioners and retirees marched through Uyo during Mr Emmanuel’s birthday to protest unpaid pensions and gratuities. Some of the protesters were later arrested and charged for unlawful protest. The case lingered until 2018 when the court finally dismissed it in favour of the protesters.
The agitation continued in subsequent years. In April 2021, widows and next of kin of late primary school teachers protested the government’s failure to keep its promise regarding gratuity and pension payments. It continued a year after. In August 2022, next of kin of deceased primary school teachers protested unpaid death benefits, gratuities and pension-related entitlements, accusing the state government of failing to clear longstanding obligations dating back several years.
Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES, Benson Benjamin, who has led several protests by retired primary school teachers and next of kin over unpaid entitlements and was among those arrested and charged in court over unlawful protest, said payments have become more consistent under the current administration.
“Umo Eno’s administration is far better than the previous administration in terms of payment of unpaid pensions and gratuities of living teachers and next of kin,” he said.
“If they miss paying in a particular month, the following month it will be paid.”
Mr Benjamin said the government has also introduced a humanitarian approach by giving priority to retirees with serious medical conditions even where they are not yet due for gratuity payment.
He, however, noted that retired primary school teachers are still owed pension arrears accumulated over several months dating back to 2015.
According to him, while gratuity payments have progressed from retirees of 2011 to those of 2014, the release of funds for outstanding pension arrears remains slow.
The Chairman of the Forum of Retired Primary School Teachers and Next of Kin, Felix Cookey, also acknowledged improvements but said primary school retirees continue to face unique challenges because of their large numbers.
He said pension payments are now regular across sectors, while gratuity payments for civil servants and secondary school retirees have advanced to those who retired in 2023 and 2024.
For retired primary school teachers, however, gratuity payments have only reached those who retired in 2014.
“The governor has done his best when you compare it with the last administration on retirees’ emolument. This administration is far ahead,” Mr Cookey told PREMIUM TIMES.
“He started clearing gratuities from 2011 and has reached 2014. The challenge is that the amount released monthly to the primary school sector is inadequate because the number of retirees is far higher.”
He added that the major unresolved issue remains unpaid pension arrears owed to some retired primary school teachers.
“The governor has already approved payment, but the money has not been released. Many retirees are dying while waiting,” he said.
Mr Cookey also credited the administration with paying outstanding 7.5 per cent contributory pension refunds, implementing the N27,500 pension increase arising from the previous minimum wage adjustment and settling other outstanding benefits affecting retired primary school teachers.
The President of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees in Akwa Ibom State, Anestina Iweh who in 2021 had publicly refuted the claims by Mr Emmanuel’s administration in 2021 that local government workers’ allowances were cleared also said gratuity payments have improved significantly under Mr Eno’s administration.