Eno approves 13th-month bonus, ₦10,000 for Akwa Ibom pensioners
- Akwa Ibom Governor Umo Eno has approved a 13th-month pension bonus and a one-off ₦10,000 payment in November 2026.
- Eno said ₦100bn of the ₦111bn gratuity backlog owed since 2012 has been paid, with the rest promised before his first term ends.
- He urged pensioners to back President Tinubu and Senate President Akpabio in 2027, and the pensioners' union endorsed his second-term bid.
Pensioners in Akwa Ibom will get a 13th-month pension bonus and an extra ₦10,000 with their November 2026 payment, Governor Umo Eno has said.
Eno announced the package on Friday at the Ibom Hall grounds in Uyo, at an event where the state council of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) gave him a merit award and endorsed his second-term bid.
According to the governor, the ₦10,000 is a one-off welfare support on top of the usual monthly pension. He said pensioners deserve to rest well after serving the state.
"You may be retired but not tired,"
he said, praising their organisation and sense of gratitude.
Gratuity backlog and health cover
Eno said his administration has paid ₦100bn of the ₦111bn in gratuities owed since 2012, and promised to clear the balance before the end of his first term.
He credited President Bola Tinubu with making funds available to states, which he said helped him keep that promise.
The governor also asked pensioners to enrol in the state health insurance scheme, which he said is free for people aged 65 and above.
NUP national president Comrade Mazi Godwin Ikechukwu Abumisi commended Eno for what he called his compassion and care for pensioners, and urged retirees in the state to support his second-term bid.
State NUP chairman Pastor Sylvester Nkodo also thanked the governor, saying his commitment to the welfare of elderly people and retired public servants was heartwarming.
Vote appeal for 2027
Eno used the gathering to ask pensioners to vote massively for Tinubu in the 2027 elections, saying it would keep funds coming for gratuities, pensions and other welfare packages.
He also urged pensioners in the Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District to vote for the re-election of Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
For an ordinary retiree in the state, the November payment will carry the extra ₦10,000 plus the 13th-month bonus, though the government did not say how the bonus is calculated.
What happens next: The payments are expected with November pensions. The remaining ₦11bn gratuity balance is due before the end of Eno's first term, and the 2027 vote appeals point to the campaign ahead.
