Abia pensioners protest 38-month unpaid arrears
Pensioners in Abia Wednesday staged a protest over 38 months of unpaid pension arrears by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu-led administration.
The pensioners protested around the major streets of Umuahia and ended up at the Government House.
They accused the Mr Ikpeazu’s administration of being insensitive to their health and economic conditions arising from the lack of funds.
They urged the administration to take serious steps to offset the pension arrears and 20 years of outstanding gratuity.
They carried placards with different inscriptions, such as “Abia pensioners: Monthly payment for 38 months now” and “Non-payment of gratuity since 2002”.
The senior citizens, many of whom looked pale and sickly, expressed disappointment over the government’s inability to pay their monthly pensions in full.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Emeka Okezie appealed to the government to be sensitive to the pathetic condition of pensioners in the state.
“We have been dehumanised and subjected to unimaginable sufferings due to the unavailability of funds to meet their personal and health needs.
“The issue of non-harmonisation of pensions from 1998 to 2010 should be given prompt attention,” Mr Okezie said.
Responding, the governor said that his administration was making conscious efforts to ensure regular and consistent payment of pensions.
Mr Ikpeazu, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Chris Ezem, said that the government was focused on improving their welfare.
Also, the Commissioner for Finance, Aham Uko, said that a recent forensic exercise conducted by the government on the pensioners’ payroll exposed 4,422 irregular names.
“The discovery showed that gratuities attached to the irregular names on the payroll amounted to over N6 billion,” Mr Uko said.
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette
Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”
Politics
PDP unveils 200-member campaign council for Edo 2024 guber election
The advisory council has seven eminent members of the state.
Africa
ECOWAS moves to tackle drug abuse in Sierra Leone, other countries
ECOWAS said the workshop was also to support efforts to tackle drug abuse and provide resources and strategies for member states, particularly Sierra Leone.
Lagos
FG to resume resurfacing of Third Mainland Bridge: Official
She said that the exact dates for the renewed construction would be announced soon.
Agriculture
Gov. Makinde inaugurates cassava mechanisation production, processing plant in Oyo
He called on all stakeholders to support the project, saying its success depends on the collaboration.
Africa
Heavy rains, landslides kill dozens in Tanzania, Kenya
Mr Majaliwa, who disclosed Thursday, added that 236 had also been injured in the flood.
States
Fuel price hits N1,000 per litre as scarcity pervades Kaduna
While most fuel stations were not dispensing fuel, others increased their prices to between N750 and N810 per litre as motorists struggled to buy the product.