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From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
Commercial activities as well as vehicular movement, were brought to a halt in Owerri, Imo State, following protest of aggrieved pensioners over non-payment of accumulated arrears.
This was just as the pensioners have rejected the state government’s plan to slash their arrears by 40 per cent.
The pensioners, numbering over 300, had, as early as 7:00am, converged at the entrance to the Government House, along Okigwe Road. They took over the road and prevented vehicles from entering or leaving the premises.
Chairman of Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Chief Gideon Ezeji said as at December 2016, the state government was owning civil servant retirees 22 months, local government pensioners 23 months, primary school teachers 32 months, IBC pensioners 43 months, retired permanent secretaries 22 months and Alvan Ikoku pensioners, 77 months.
He disclosed that all efforts to make the state government to pay the arrears were unsuccessful but that government now wants pensioners to forfeit 60 per cent of their arrears by accepting only 40 per cent.
Ezeji accused the state government of deploying its agent to force hapless and gullible pensioners to sign the document it has already prepared.
“Once you sign the illegal document, you automatically forfeit 60 per cent of your arrears of pensions. By signing that document, it means you have discharged Imo State Government from present, past and future pension liabilities claims and demands in respect of the said arrears.
“The arrears we are demanding are our legitimate right and not a favour and we will continue to protest this wickedness by this government because we have never had it this bad.”
Also, Chief Nwaonu Ebere, a retired secondary school principal said he has not been paid his gratuity since his retirement.
“I retired in 2011 as the principal of Umuanachi Secondary School Obowo and, since then, I have not been paid my gratuity and I have only received three months of pensions since then.”
He pointed out that some of the pensioners especially retired primary school teachers collect only N10,000 monthly and now they are being asked to forfeit 60 per cent of their arrears.
Meanwhile, in a statement, Sam Onwuemeodo, the Chief Press Secretary said contrary to the claims of the pensioners that the state government and leadership of the pensioners in the state had agreed to pay pensioners in the state whose grades fall between level 7 and level 14, 40 per cent of their pension arrears, while those on grade level one to six would have 100 per cent payment.
“ The pensioners have done their own part by signing the forms accordingly and the government is set to begin the payment. So, the few ones who have refused to cooperate may have their reasons, but in every setting, those who are few in number do not impose their decision or action on the majority.
Granted that some of the leaders of the pensioners’ union had complained that direct payment to the pensioners through the ward coordinators of the State Development Councils (SDC) would deny them the money they were deducting from source from the account of each of the pensioners, but the larger interest of the pensioners should come first.”
