FROM GEORGE ONYEJIUWA, OWERRI

The Association of Retired Permanent Secretaries of Imo State has appealed to Governor Rochas Okorocha to pay its members the 9 months pension arrears owed them by government.

Chief Hyacinth Onyekwere, the state chairman of the As­sociation who made the ap­peal yesterday while briefing newsmen on the plights of retired permanent secretaries of Imo State wants the state government to clear the 9 months arrears with the bailout fund received from the Federal Government.

He pointed out that mem­bers of the association last received their pensions in Oc­tober, 2014, regretting, that cheques issued to them by the state government in December last year did not clear.

“ Members of the Associa­tion last received their pensions in October 2014 and even the cheques issued to us by Imo government in November and December, 2014 all bounced”.

Lamenting the situation, the chairman of the retired per­manent secretaries in the state noted that retirees are currently in economic dire straits as a re­sult of the non payment of their pensions by the state govern­ment.

Onyekwere further noted that it was in a bid to tackle series of complaints of unpaid salaries and pensions from states that President Muham­madu Buhari gave bailout funds to states and urged Okorocha not to give any more excuses but to use the bailout fund to clear the salaries and pensions arrears owned civil servants and retirees in the state.

“Gov. Okorocha must not give any excuse now that the bailout fund had been provided by the Federal Government because non-payment of pen­sion and salaries has reduced the injection of money to the economy.”

Devil at home and saint abroad, can somebody tell that eastern Hausa man that charity begins at home.