ABIA PENSIONERS CRY OUT AGAINST STRESS OF RECURRING VERIFICATION

Pensioners in Abia State have expressed dissatisfaction with the conduct of the on-going verification in the state. The pensioners, who made their feelings known to Radio Nigeria, called on the State Government to create a better organised verification process to ease their burden.

The issue of payment of pension has been a concern to Abia State Government for some time now as pensioners in the state are owed up to between 20 and 23 months of arrears.

Last November, the government had an arrangement to pay pensioners from November to February and took further step to conduct a biometric verification aimed at getting the accurate number of pensioners in the Abia State payroll and to update their records.

In an interview, one of the pensioners, Mr. Chidi Ohamuo, lamented the slow process of the verification exercise, pointing out that they had suggested to the officials to spread them to banks to hasten the process. For Mr. Benjamin Odoemelam, from Ohuhu village, they had been stranded since Monday the exercise commenced.

Also, Mrs. Blessing Timothy, was not happy that barely two months after the previous verification, the pensioners were subjected to another rigorous process and urged the government to do something about the situation. The Chairman Nigeria Union of Pensioners Umuahia branch, Chief Chukwudike Nwosu, explained that though similar exercise was carried out in December last year, the present verification was a comprehensive biometric capturing, which would yield better results.

Chief Nwosu called for more units to be created and for better accommodation and refreshments to be provided for the pensioners. The exercise, which commenced on Monday 15th March across the three senatorial zones of the state is expected to end on March 27, 2020.

IFEAKANWA UDEOZO