PENSIONERS IN ABIA STATE PROTEST OVER NONPAYMENT OF ARREARS OF PENSIONS AND GRATUITY
The Abia Stat
e Civil and Public Service Pensioners Association has
staged a peaceful demonstration over nonpayment of arrears of pensions and gratuity owed them by the State Government.
The pensioners who carried placards with inscriptions like “non
harmonization of pension is economic suicide”, “Delayed payment of
pension has sent many retirees to their untimely graves” and “Abia State pensioners are dying on daily basis due to nonpayment of pensions” took their protest to Government House Umuahia and blocked the entrance gate.
Addressing Journalists, the leader of the group, Chief Emmanuel Okparanta who explained that the peaceful demonstration was as a result of nonpayment of arrears of pensions and gratuity since last year, expressed worry that some of them still received five hundred naira every month as pension.
Chief Okparanta appealed to government to consider their plights by offsetting the arrears of pension and gratuity as most of them had no other means of livelihood.
Receiving the Pensioners at Government House, Umuahia on behalf of the Governor, the Principal Secretary to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu Chief Emma Nwabuko thanked them for the peaceful manner they conducted themselves and assured them that their message would be delivered to the appropriate quarter.
LAWRENCE NWOKEDI