The claim by the Imo state government that it has paid its pensioners has once again been put to question as Scores of pensioners, led by their state chairman, Chief Gideon Ezeji, for the third time in a row blocked Okigwe road as well as the entrance to Government House, Owerri.
The Pensioners yesterday, protested the continued refusal by Governor Rochas Okorocha to pay them their pensions which ranged between 22 and 77 months in arrears.
The aggrieved pensioners urged President Muhammadu Buhari to call Okorocha to order, saying: ”He behaves disrespectfully and treats senior citizens in the state with deplorably.”
According to Ezeji,”Okorocha derives joy in seeing elders in this state coming out from time to time to the streets to ask for their pension. What did Okorocha do with the bailout fund that President Buhari gave to him? We are protesting for the third time.”
Vanguard reports thay the latest development, which they described as ”wicked of Okorocha’s government is the plan to pay 40 percent of the accumulated arrears and gratuities and forfeit of 60 percent.
We say no to this latest government plan to deny us the payment of 60 percent of arrears up to December. ”As at December 2016, the state is owing Imo pensioners between 22 months and 77 months arrears. Our gratuities have remained unpaid since 1998 till date.
“Also, the government has refused to harmonize our pensions since 2000 to date. All the efforts by the union overseeing the welfare of pensioners have not yielded any fruit.”
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