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From John Adams, Minna
For the third time in two months, pensioners in Niger state on Monday blocked the entrance gate of government house, Minna to protest over their unpaid pension and gratuity, spanning over five years.
Majority of the over 300 Pensioners who occupied the the entrance gate of the government house as early as 7:00am were those who retired from the local government service in the state in the last six years.
According to them, they are yet to be paid a kobo as their retirement benefits after 35 years of service.
There was serious commotion at the government house gate as the angry Pensioners blocked the entrance gate, and preventing the newly elected local government Chairmen from gaining access into the government house, the venue of their inauguration.
It could be recalled that after months of protests by the Pensioners, the state government in September this year approved N1billion out of the N14billion pension liability for the payment of pension and gratuity to 14,200 retirees in the state.
The money, according to the Director General of the state pension board, Alhaji Nasiru Saidu Namaska, was to be shared N500 million each between the state and local government retirees.
The total liability under the state and local government pension stood at N14billion.
However, despite appeal by the APC Gubernatorial Candidate, Alhaji Umar Baggo who met the protesters at the gate on his way to attend the inauguration of Council Chairmen, the protesting Pensioners remained adamant.
The pensioners came to the government house gate with their mats, pillows, buckets and other personal belongings to occupy the gate saying until their pensions are paid before they can leave.
One of the pensioners, Abubakar Abdullahi who spoke to our correspondent accused the government of insensitivity to their plight, stressing that the government is has shown the highest level of insensitivity over the issue for over six years.
“This government is wicked, how can you owe people for seven and still have the mind to be living as if nothing is wrong? He junkets the county and around the world in private jets while we are wallowing in abject poverty and suffering”.
He also accused the government of squandering fund’s released to the state that would have been used to ameliorate the suffering of people of the state.
“The Federal government released Paris funds and other funds to this state but we can’t see anything that was done with the funds neither did they deem it fit to reduce the backlog of our pensions and gratuities”.
He also accused the government of its refusal to keep to the numerous promises it had made to them in the past adding that it is a government of promise and fail.
“This government is just a government of of promise and fail, there not a single promise they made to is that was met”.
He further stated that they are dying from treatable diseases as a result of lack of funds to pay medical bills and their children unable to return to school.
“Because of the government and their insensitivity, some of us have died because we can’t afford to buy drugs when we are sick while some us us can’t even send our children back to school”
Bago while appealing to the Pensioners, promised them that if elected, his administration will ensure that their pension is treated with utmost importance adding that he will speak with relevant authorities to ensure that they get paid.
